Jason’s Story & The Jason Foundation, Inc.
On July 16, 1997, the most devastating event that can happen to a parent / family happened to my family…the loss of a child. Jason, age 16, was an average teenager who was an average student, better than average athlete, active in his church youth group and one who seemed to have everything good ahead of him. Yet on this day, Jason was lost to a “Silent Epidemic” that today is the 2nd leading cause of death for our nation’s youth. It is a “Silent Epidemic” that claims an average of 118 young lives each week in our nation. This “Silent Epidemic” is youth suicide.
According to the CDC’s 2017 Youth Risk Behavioral Survey, 17.2% of our nation’s youth replied that they had “seriously considered” suicide in the past twelve month and that 7.4% – that is over 1 out of every 14 young people – reported having attempted suicide one or more times in that same previous twelve months.
Suicide can easily be listed as one of the leading causes of death for our nation’s youth. However, it can also be listed as one of the leading causes of preventable death. Four out of five young people will demonstrate “warning signs” before a suicide attempt. If we know what to look for and how to appropriately respond, we can save lives!
The Jason Foundation, Inc. (JFI) was founded in October 1997 by Jason’s family and a few close friends. Today, JFI is recognized as a non-profit national leader in the awareness and prevention of youth suicide. Providing the information, tools and resources to help young people, educators / youth workers and parents / communities be better able to identify and assist young people who may be struggling with thoughts of suicide is the mission of The Jason Foundation. JFI, whose corporate headquarters is in Hendersonville, TN, has grown from literally a kitchen table to a national network of 125 Affiliate Offices located in 33 states and one U.S. Territory.
One of the greatest accomplishments of JFI is The Jason Flatt Act which utilizes teacher In-Service / Professional Development training to include suicide awareness and prevention. Passed first in Tennessee in 2007, The Jason Flatt Act has been passed in twenty states which impacts over 1.3 million educators and 23 million students.
When asked about JFI’s greatest accomplishments, Clark Flatt President of JFI and Jason’s dad responded, “Since 1997, because of the support of our National Affiliates and many passionate individuals, we have never charged for any of our programs, making sure that lack of funding is never the deciding factor on who we can help.”
To learn more about the National public help issue of youth suicide and The Jason Foundation, Inc., visit www.jasonfoundation.com
Guest Author:
Clark Flatt, President of The Jason Foundation Inc.
Editor’s Note:
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