Delaina sent a message to Virginia M. Rometty Chairman, President, and CEO, IBM – email address that said:
Hello!
Did you know suicide is the SECOND leading cause of death for people ranging in ages from 10-24 years old? More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, flu ,and chronic lung disease,combined. Every 40 seconds there is a death by suicide worldwide. If you haven't been affected by suicide in your lifetime, i guarantee it will happen at some point. If suicide does not affect your life in some way, you are very lucky. Some of us aren’t so lucky.
My name is Delaina and I am a 3 time suicide attempt survivor. I have struggled with multiple mental illnesses ranging from depression to bulimia since i was 13 years old. The majority of people who die by suicide have an underlying mental illness, although many multiple illnesses are not curable, it is possible to learn to cope with your disease and sustain a healthy lifestyle.
Something that helped me cope with my personal issues was helping others. I founded my non-profit organization Strength 2 Survive in the beginning of 2016. After almost losing my own life and losing a close friend to suicide in 2013, I knew something had to be done. I have realized over the years there are few peer to peer led organizations in the United States. There are many non-for-profits, but little to none are run by people who have experienced what it is like to face a real life struggle such as mental illness. Also many groups focus on adults 21+, not the struggling youth.
Our hopes as an organization are as followed; to inspire young adults to use their struggles for good rather than the alternative. Doing volunteer work when you're feeling low is a great example of what we encourage. Spreading hope and love by providing empowering groups for young people such as positive body image, self esteem, positive coping skills and outreach groups. We hope to provide a support system for adolescents and young adults where they feel comfortable as well as providing them with healthy alternatives to their current situation.
While we have already reached many people, we dream of reaching many more. This summer there is an amazing opportunity for us to reach almost one million people. Vans Warped Tour is a traveling rock festival that has toured the United States (including 3 or 4 stops in Canada) annually every summer since 1995. It is the largest traveling music festival in the United States. In addition to having over 30 bands perform, Vans Warped Tour welcomes organizations of all kinds to join them.
Organizations ranging from Farm Animal Rights Movement to the Keep A Breast organization have attended in the past. Organizations set up booths at each event and are given the opportunity to communicate as well as spread awareness of the cause associated with them. We have many ideas in order to make the most out of our days attending the tour as well as ways to engage attendees.
In order for us to take part in this incredible opportunity we will need sufficient funds to get us through the 2 ½ month tour. Your support is key in making this opportunity a reality for us. Would you consider becoming a sponsor of Strength 2 Survive as we embark on our journey to help others?
We thank you in advance for your support! Your donation is greatly appreciated and will be used to spread hope, love and encouragement to close to one million people. If you would like to have a more thorough discussion about a possible donation you can contact me directly
With warm regards,
Delaina
Strength 2 Survive
