If you see a purple porch light this month, it’s for a good cause. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and the Seward County Suicide Prevention Coalition has purple light bulbs available to draw attention to the cause.
The purple light bulbs, which are featured this year, are available at the Seward Police Department. Included is a flyer with information about the Light the Night for Hope campaign.
The coalition has been around for at least 10 years, member Katie Webster said. The group meets the second Tuesday of each month at noon at the Seward Memorial Library.
Webster said the coalition has hosted walks like the Walk for Hope to draw attention to suicide prevention. It also promotes events like QPR training and resources like the 988 suicide prevention hotline.
“We promote prevention and postvention,” she said. “We want to make sure people know there is help out there. You can talk to someone if you’re not feeling like yourself.”
The people answering the 988 hotline love to talk to people and to help them through their crisis, Webster said.
“Over 300 people in Nebraska die by suicide each year,” Webster said.
Coalition members come from across the community – clergy, schools, Four Corners Health Department and Memorial Health Care Systems, among others.
Webster said purple and teal are the colors associated with suicide prevention. Signs on the courthouse lawn feature those colors and information about suicide prevention.
“Purple is for prevention and providing hope,” Webster said. “You’re not alone. You matter.”
Webster got involved with the coalition through her job at the Seward County Attorney’s office. She knows people who have been impacted by suicide and believes prevention is an important cause to be part of.
She said suicide and suicide prevention should be talked about more so it doesn’t become more of a stigma.
“You shouldn’t feel embarrassed to talk about it,” she said.
The coalition is sponsoring QPR training Friday, Sept. 13, beginning at noon. QPR stands for Question, Persuade, Refer and is a suicide prevention tool.
“The mission of QPR is to save lives and reduce suicidal behaviors by providing innovative, practical and proven suicide prevention training,” the flyer said.
The free training will be done via Zoom. Registration can be done through the Region V Systems website, www.region5systems.net, and click on the training link.
