Community West Awards Grant to be Used in Western Cuyahoga and Lorain Counties

The Community West Foundation awarded a grant of $10,000 to LifeAct, formerly known as Suicide Prevention Education Alliance (SPEA), headquartered in Cleveland. The grant will support the delivery of LifeAct’s in-school suicide prevention program for high school students in Western Cuyahoga and Lorain Counties. The program, “Recognizing Teen Depression and Preventing Suicide,” has been delivered to over 170,000 high school students in eight counties in Northeast Ohio.

During the in-school sessions, taught by LifeAct instructors, high school students learn how to identify the signs of depression in themselves and other individuals and where to go for help. LifeAct teaches students to be the first line of defense in preventing suicide.

During the past school year, the program was delivered to nearly 20,000 high school students, of which over 1,200 came forward seeking help for themselves or a friend. Shockingly, one in five high school students seriously consider suicide, which is the leading cause of death for Ohio teens after accidents. And the situation is escalating.

LifeAct was founded in 1992 by Lyman H. Treadway. For information about educational programs provided by LifeAct, contact Mary McKenna at (216) 464-3471 or by email.