Annual Fundraiser Earns $34,000 to Bring Prevention Programs Directly to Teens. - August 16th, 2009.
Over 140 Elyssa’s Mission supporters gathered at Arlington Park Race Track for a day of fine food, auctioneering and horse racing. Notable auction items included a football signed by Peyton Manning and deluxe condo stays in Aspen and Ritz Carlton Reynolds Plantation in Georgia. Other hot items included concert photos of Bruce Springsteen, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend signed by the artist.





For those unable to watch the special news program entitled "Surviving Suicide" hosted by our advisory council member and ABC News anchor, Kevin Roy, please navigate to the following link. Click here to view the program in its entirety. The program prominently features the important work of Elyssa's Mission and the equally important work of our advisory council member, Father Charles Rubey, and the LOSS program (Loving Outreach to Survivors of Suicide). We are tremendously grateful to Kevin Roy for his continued support and advocacy on issues related to suicide prevention and education. We strongly encourage you to click onto the link and watch this highly informative program.


WELCOME LAURIE KAHN TO OUR ADVISORY COUNCIL: Laurie Kahn, MA, LCPC, is the founder and director of Womencare Counseling Center, established in 1978. She is an internationally recognized speaker on trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder and issues of importance to women. We are so pleased to partner with Laurie and tap into her extensive expertise. For more information on Womencare, view their website at www.womencarecounseling.com.


REGISTER NOW FOR "SUICIDE: DYING TOO SOON": Come join us on October 25, 2008 at the Catholic Theological Union, 5416 S. Cornell, Chicago from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sponsored by Stauros USA, this year's conference will feature Jeanne Malnati of Elyssa's Mission as one of three keynote speakers along with former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan and his wife Marie who will share the story of their son's suicide. For more information and to register, please go to the Stauros website at www.stauros.org.

SUICIDE PREVENTION CLASSES - HAVING AN IMPACT: Our program has now touched almost 14,000 students across Chicagoland. With new schools/churches/synagogues added during the spring school term and three new teachers in training , Elyssa's Mission is making a difference. Perhaps the impact is best summarized by Susan Close, a counselor at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois: "Words cannot express Loyola Academy's deep gratitude to Elyssa's Mission for the suicide prevention presentations you gave to our freshman and junior students this year. You have made an impact on the students and faculty at Loyola Academy by raising the awareness of the signs and symptoms of suicide. You have changed the way our students view each other. You have inspired them to view the world around them with care and concern. You have saved the lives of countless students in crisis at Loyola. You have given tools for students to help their friends in crisis. For that, we are forever grateful. Your care and concern, and your commitment to the safety and well-being of adolescents are nothing short of amazing."

HINSDALE SOUTH "SAVES" LIVES: The Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) club at Hinsdale South High School in Darien, Illinois invited Elyssa's Mission to speak about suicide prevention with about 200 students. Club members asked students to sign a pledge that read: "I promise to seek help if ever I am concerned about the emotional or physical safety of myself or someone else." Each student who signed the pledge also donated 25 cents to Elyssa's Mission. We thank the students of SAVE and their faculty sponsor and social worker, Nancy Betker, for their leadership in suicide awareness and prevention.

ELYSSA'S MISSION FEATURED ON ABC NEWS: A special news segment on adolescent depression and suicide showcased Elyssa's Mission and our plight to raise awareness on suicide prevention. Five-time Emmy winner Kevin Roy followed Elyssa's Mission into the classroom to view and tape our work with teens. We send our thanks to Caruso Middle School in Deerfield, Illinois for inviting Kevin and his camera crew to film our program and to Kevin for his unyielding commitment to suicide prevention. To view the ABC segment, click here.

GLENBARD WEST HIGH SCHOOL PRESENTS "LIVE LIFE WELL WEEK": The Students for Students Club at Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn, Illinois sponsored a week of student wellness events. The school hosted presentations on the topics of underage drinking, bullying and stress management, offered yoga classes and free massages, and sponsored a bowling night and father/daughter dance. The students invited Elyssa's Mission to help raise awareness on suicide prevention. Working with school counselor Gilda Ross, presenters from Elyssa's Mission facilitated our suicide prevention program to all 2,100 students. We are pleased to include Glenbard West High School as our newest partner in teen suicide prevention.

CHURCH YOUTH GROUP DISCUSSES SUICIDE PREVENTION: The youth group at Old St. Patrick's Church in Chicago, Illinois invited Elyssa's Mission to facilitate an interactive discussion on suicide prevention. Ellen Brechlin, Carol Felsenthal, Katie Graff and Joanne Meyers, all members of Elyssa's Mission, led workshops with the youth to discuss issues related to suicide awareness and prevention.

WELCOME KEVIN ROY TO OUR ADVISORY COUNCIL: Kevin Roy anchors ABC 7's #1 rated Saturday and Sunday morning newscasts. Kevin is a five-time Emmy award winner, including a Best News Series Emmy in 2001 for "A Son of Suicide," which explored his family's experience after the suicide of his mother, Diane Marcus Roy. We are so pleased to be able to tap into Kevin's expertise as a new member of our advisory council.

PARISH YOUTH MINISTRY HOSTS SYMPOSIUM. An informative and interactive presentation for parents and teenagers in the Bartlett/Elgin, Illinois area was held at St. Peter Damian Church on January 20, 2008. Hosted by the high school youth ministry, the well-attended session brought the community together to raise awareness on suicide prevention. Father Charles Rubey opened the program with a special prayer followed by sessions led by Jeanne Malnati LCSW, Ken Meyers and Kristin Kovacevich.

INTRODUCING...DREAMWALK: We are thrilled to announce the addition of a new program provided through Elyssa's Mission called DreamWalk. This program enhances our vision to promote and facilitate positive self image in our youth.







ELYSSA'S MISSION FEATURES PROMINENTLY ON EMMY-WINNING TV SHOW: Jeanne Malnati, clinical social worker and member of our advisory council, represented Elyssa's Mission on Different Drummers, the CBS television series dedicated to issues of relevance to teenagers. The December 2nd show focused on the rising trend of teen suicide among girls. Youth members from Elyssa's Mission participated in the audience.


CHICAGO TRIBUNE SPOTLIGHTS ELYSSA'S MISSION: The work of Elyssa's Mission was the front page story in the Chicago Tribune's Metro section on November 26, 2007. Only good has come from this coverage: letters from teenagers sharing their personal stories, requests for suicide prevention classes in new schools and churches/synagogues, and support from other suicide survivors. To read the story in its entirety, click here (PDF).

FATHER RUBEY JOINS ADVISORY COUNCIL: We are pleased to welcome the Reverend Charles T. Rubey to our advisory council. Father Rubey founded LOSS - Loving Outreach to Survivors of Suicide. The LOSS Program is a support group for those who are grieving a death by suicide of a family member or close friend. The LOSS Program is a non-denominational program offered by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago in collaboration with the Diocese of Joliet. For more information on LOSS, view their website at www.catholiccharities.net/loss.

ELYSSA'S MISSION AND WOMENCARE COUNSELING CENTER HOST SYMPOSIUM: Elyssa's Mission teamed with experts in the field of post-traumatic stress, Laurie Kahn and Judith Ierulli from Womencare. Audience members engaged in an active discussion on the causes of trauma in our youth, and support resources were provided. For more information on Evanston-based Womencare, check out their website at www.womencarecounseling.com.


ELYSSA'S MISSION LEADS WORKSHOPS AT SUICIDE PREVENTION CONFERENCE: Stauros USA hosted an all-day conference on suicide prevention at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago on September 7, 2007. Members of Elyssa's Mission conducted two well-attended workshops. Ellen Brechlin, Carol Felsenthal and Joanne Meyers presented our teen suicide prevention program to interested clergy, social workers and educators. Jeanne Malnati and Kristin Kovacevich led a session on suicidal warning signs. For more information on Stauros USA, check out their website at www.stauros.org.

RUMMAGE SALE NETS $6000: Elyssa's Mission raised over $6,000 on August 18th at our third annual rummage sale - well above our expectations. Members of our community showed up in full force to volunteer their services and lend their support to Elyssa's Mission. This rummage sale was more than a fund-raising event; it was a day for community to come together and bring suicide prevention out of the darkness. Thank you to our many volunteers for lending a hand.



ERIKA'S LIGHTHOUSE WALKS TO RAISE AWARENESS ON ADOLESCENT DEPRESSION: Members of Elyssa's Mission joined hundreds of walkers and runners at the fourth annual walkathon on May 6, 2007. Erika's Lighthouse promotes education and advocacy to benefit adolescents suffering from depression disorders.