Elyssa’s Mission’s 11th Annual Race to Save Young Lives

This past Saturday Elyssa’s Mission hosted their 11th Annual Race to Save Young Lives at Arlington Park. The event aims to raise funds and awareness for the organization’s mission: Suicide Prevention.

Our VP of Operations, John Ferek, and his wife attended on behalf of GWT. We were proud to be invited back to sponsor the event as a silver sponsor for the second year in a row. We find the opportunity to participate and support a cause which aims to reduce the tragedy of teen suicide through prevention awareness extremely humbling. We encourage all able to find a way to get involved through this organization or others to hopefully reduce the tragedy of something that has likely effected each and every one of our family’s lives in some way.

About: Elyssa’s Mission® provides resources to help prevent teen suicide. The community-based organization was founded in 2006 in honor of Elyssa, a bright, gifted and outgoing Chicagoland girl who bravely battled post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Elyssa’s Mission® provides hands-on support to area public and private schools in order to educate students, staff and parents on how to recognize and assist those teens most at-risk. We have helped educate over 300,000 students since inception.

Elyssa’s Mission® funds and implements the evidence-based SOS Signs of Suicide® Prevention Program in over 160 middle and high schools in Illinois through our partnership with Screening for Mental Health®, a Massachusetts-based organization that pioneered the concept of large-scale mental health screening and education programs. We assist with all components of the SOS program including planning, teaching and training for staff and parents.

For more information on Elyssa’s Mission, please visit http://elyssasmission.org.