About

The Suicide Prevention Alliance of Chautauqua County recognizes that suicide is a community wide problem. We are dedicated to protecting and promoting life by fostering shared responsibility through raising awareness and community supports while embracing hopefulness and resiliency in the Chautauqua region.

Suicide Prevention Alliance of Chautauqua County Initiatives

  • Community Awareness Initiatives:  We facilitate community-based events, campaigns, speaking engagements, and other related efforts.  We are happy to partner with local entities to discuss creative collaborative partnerships and ideas that can engage community members, young people, employees, faith-based organizations, etc.
  • Sources of Strength:  A best practice youth suicide prevention project designed to harness the power of peer social networks to change unhealthy norms and culture, ultimately preventing suicide, bullying, and substance abuse. The mission of Sources of Strength is to prevent suicide by increasing help seeking behaviors and promoting connections between peers and caring adults.  We have nationally certified Sources of Strength trainers in Chautauqua County who work closely with school districts who implement the curriculum.  We are always happy to talk with new schools about partnership.
  • Training & Education:  Our team is trained in a variety of evidence-based suicide prevention and gatekeeper curriculums that can be presented and tailored to any group above the age of 14 in any capacity. In addition, our team can also conduct Mental Health First Aid Courses for adults and/or adults that work with young people.
  • Partnership and Collaboration Development: Our team is happy to discuss future opportunities to share resources through efforts, events, training, education or bereavement support.  Our team also can help plan and discuss suicide prevention and postvention agency or school plans, appropriate memorial services, resource linkages, etc.

Chautauqua County Sudden Loss Care Team

The Chautauqua County Sudden Loss Care Team is a collaborative effort of volunteers with a rich diversity of personal and professional skills, backgrounds and expertise available to provide supportive services to agencies, businesses and/or individuals in the Chautauqua County community who have experienced a recent suicide, sudden or traumatic loss or other impactful incident.

The primary role of the Chautauqua County Sudden Loss Care Team is to: support people impacted by a sudden and/or traumatic loss with immediate needs and to promote individual and community healing.

If grief support is needed, please contact: (716) 203-1607 or email us:

Board of Directors

Kirk D. Young – President
Jennifer Baker – Vice President
Sylvia A. Emerling – Secretary
Dawn Samuelson
Kevin Matteson

Amanda Degnan
Miranda Nellis
Thaddeus Lund
Catherine R. Childs
Victoria Eckert

Staff

Carri Raynor

Christina Breen