Following a precipitous rise in suicide deaths both nationally and statewide, the Jam Room Music Festival has partnered with the national nonprofit SAVE — Suicide Awareness Voices of Education — to raise local awareness of the problem at the Sept. 29 festival. Download the press release here. (pdf)
Jam Room Music Festival to Raise Suicide Awareness
Downtown Festival Partners with Nonprofit SAVE for Sept. 29 Event
Sept. 17, 2018 (Columbia, S.C.) — Following a precipitous rise in suicide deaths both nationally and statewide, the Jam Room Music Festival has partnered with the national nonprofit SAVE — Suicide Awareness Voices of Education — to raise local awareness of the problem at its Sept. 29 festival.
The event, which runs from noon to 10 p.m. on at Main and Hampton streets, will feature a suicide awareness booth and an appearance by Daniel Reidenberg, executive director of SAVE. The organization will raffle off a guitar signed by musicians playing the festival, as well as hand out suicide awareness materials. In addition, Reidenberg will address the audience from the stage.
More than 45,000 Americans died from suicide in 2016, more than twice the number of homicides. In South Carolina, suicide deaths have increased more than 38 percent between 1999-2001 and 2014-16, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The death on Sept. 4 of beloved local musician Adam Cullum has left many in the music community reeling and looking for a way to prevent future deaths.
“We’ve seen too many lives lost,” says Jay Matheson, director of the Jam Room Music Festival. “We’re hoping that by partnering with SAVE, we can get out the message that suicide is preventable: There are warning signs, and we all have a role to play in recognizing and acting on them. And for someone who is suffering, there is always a place to turn for help.”
—-
About SAVE
SAVE was one of the nation’s first organizations dedicated to the prevention of suicide. Its work is based on the foundation and belief that suicide is preventable and everyone has a role to play in preventing suicide. Through raising public awareness, educating communities, and equipping every person with the right tools, we know we can SAVE lives. Learn more at save.org.