issue no. 2 summer 2014

7/27/2019 Issue No. 2 Summer 2014

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Summer Issue No.2 August 01, 2013

UMTR2ME

Celebrates Its First Year!

I can’t believe that just last

August the life changing and life

saving initiative, UMTR2ME-You

Matter To Me, was launched.

This past year has been amazing

with so many great experiences.

We’ve had opportunities to meet

so many wonderful people andwe truly love being a part of your

lives.

The stories of sadness and joy,

struggles and successes, which so

many of you have shared, really

do matter to us, just as much as

you matter to us.

We couldn’t be more excited to

be releasing our 2nd newsletter

and what better timing than just

before September’s Suicide

Prevention month.

Join UMTR2ME and many others

across the globe, as we spread

the simply powerful message,UMTR2ME -You Matter To Me.

We cannot wait to walk

alongside each of you as we

embark on yet another, great

and wonderful year.

In This Issue…

2

3

4

5

TPHS Yellow Ribbon Week

Tips That May Prevent

Teenage Depression

2 TALK TEXT UMTR

Campaign

Special Thank You

“If life seems easy or like you’ve got it all

figured out, then you’re really not living.”

You Matter To

“Commit to doing one thing today,

that will change your life forever.”

UMTR2ME NewsletterEditor: Jimm Greer

Assistant Editor: Robyn Sembera

Upcoming Events

6

UMTR2ME Vision/Mission

6

7/27/2019 Issue No. 2 Summer 2014



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Of the 38,634 Americans who took

their lives last year, 5,000 of them

were teenagers. Of all the states,

California had the most deaths with3,913.

With that troubling trend in mind,

Torrey Pines High School held

Yellow Ribbon Week during the

week of May 20th to promote

suicide prevention among

teenagers and to reduce the stigma

surrounding mental illness.

The week of awareness and

inspiration was led by the Peer

Assistant Listeners (PALs) group and

its advisor Don Hollins, who is also

the independent study and online

learning lab facilitator.

“The message is an important one

and not one that students hear

every day,” Hollins said.

“Statistically we need to break the

cycle, have the courage to say

‘I need help’ and the courage to

reach out to people who need that

help,” Hollins said.

Over 2,000 students attended six

different assemblies with a variety

of presenters including: Anna

Collins, a Harvard MBA graduate

and Amazon executive who spoke

about the tools for handling stress

and failure; transpersonal

psychotherapist Dr. Dorothy Gita

Moreno, who spoke on how to,

“find, follow and stay on your

yellow brick road”; Johnny Rivera,

the successful restaurateur behind

Hash House A-Go-Go, Tractor Room

and Great Maple Restaurant, on

how he coped with the demise of

his Plan A and turned Plan B into

success; Bonnie Bear, the executive

director of Survivors of Suicide Loss

and the week was closed out by

Jimm Greer, founder and director of

UMTR2ME-You Matter To Me.

Torrey Pines High School Yellow Ribbon Week

“Talking to the TPHSstudents enabled me to

reach out to students whomight be going through

what I was going throughat that age.” Jimm Greer

In an interview by Anna Li of the Torrey Pines Falconer,

Greer said, “It was really great to have so many students

approach me after the assembly to thank me and share

some of their own personal stories.

I remember this one girl walked up, smiled at me, then

gave me a hug and walked away without even telling me

her name. Another girl then came up, looked at me like

she wanted to say something, and just started to cry. I

hugged her and told her that if all she could do was cry,

that was a good place to start.”

Over 2,000 students attended s ix

different assemblies

Article courtesy of:

Anna Li, editor, TPHS Falconer

Karen Billing, columnist, Del Mar Times

7/27/2019 Issue No. 2 Summer 2014



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Teenage depression is a

serious health concern.

Sometimes preventing

depression is not possible;

however there are things you

can do to give your teen the

coping skills and support that

can reduce their risk of

serious depression. Laura

Neece, Licensed Professional

Counselor with Beloit Health

System’s Counseling Care

Center, offer some important advice.

Be sure your child knows that you are there for them if

needed. Good ways to show your support include:

• Making time every day to talk with your teen.

• Taking an interest in things that interest them.

• Trying to encourage your child to express feelingswithout offering judgments or getting upset. Talk with

them calmly about how they are feeling.

• Offering positive feedback on accomplishments, good

deeds or other strengths whatever form they take.

• Preparing and eating family meals together.

Strong social relationships are also important for yourteen’s mental health. Encourage your teen to spend time

with his or her friends. Team sports or other group

activities like academic clubs are also a great way for

your child to increase self-esteem and widen his or her

social support network.

“Most teens spend a lot of time with various media,”

Neece said. “Examine some of your child’s most watched

shows and movies. If they involve unrealistic situations

or people, you may want to have a conversation about

how media differs from reality.”

Repeated exposure to violent or overly negative content

may aggravate feelings of depression. Talk with your kids

about what they are watching, how they feel about it.

Whether it’s through aerobic exercise like running or

strength training, daily physical activity may help reduce

depression and anxiety in teens. The Department of

Health and Human Services recommends at least one

hour of physical activity per day for teens.

Getting sufficient sleep is also essential for helping teens

feel their best both physically and emotionally. Lack of

sleep may increase the risk of depression.

Some signs of depression in teens include:

• Withdrawal from friends, family, hobbies, sports and

other activities

• Depressed mood

• Reduction in school performance

• Decreased energy and/or motivation

• Anger or irritability

• Being very sensitive (possibly overreacting) to criticism

• Poor self -esteem or guilt

• Decreased concentration, difficulty making decisions

Tips That May Prevent

Teenage Depression

7/27/2019 Issue No. 2 Summer 2014



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• Restlessness

• Changes in sleep or eating habits

• Suicidal thoughts

If you are concerned that your child

may be depressed, especially if they

are having suicidal thoughts, seek

medical assistance. Medical

professionals may suggest a variety

of treatment options.

Article courtesy of:Laura Neece, Licensed Professional

Counselor with Beloit Health

System’s

Reprint permission given by, Sarah

Starmer, Beloit Health System

Media Coordinator

Earlier this year we launched a new

program called 2TalkTextUMTR,

which was started to offer another

tool for those needing to reach outfor support.

We knew immediately the program

was a success when we received a

text message within just minutes of

the launch. Below is that transcript.

(txt) “I self harm and I don’t know, I

ust feel like no one cares about me.

I tried to tell my parents but my

mom called me an attention whore

and my dad said he didn’t care as

long as I didn’t get blood on his

carpet. I don’t know what to do.”

(umtr) “I understand at times it can

feel like no one cares but that

simply is not true. Because by

replying to this message, I just

We realize it’s not always easy to

tell someone, face to face, what’s

bothering you or what’s going

through your head.

We understand sometimes you

wish you could reach out and share

your struggles in a private

anonymous way.

We know sometimes it is much

easier to text than to talk.

We’ve all felt that way at one time

or another.

That is why we’ve launched the

“2TalkTextUMTR” program.

We want you to know what ever

your struggle may be, we are

offering a way to openly, freely and

privately text what is troubling

you. We want to make sure you

receive the support, the hope, the

encouragement and the proper

referrals necessary to help you

make it through today and ontoanother tomorrow.

So the next time you need

TEXT #: (760) 440-UMTR

Social Media

Updates

UMTR2ME

5913 – Views

49 – U.S. States

6 – Continents

75+ - Countries

Instagram

umtr2me191 – Photos

47 – Followers

Twitter

www.twitter.com/

Facebook

www.facebook.com/

304 – Fan Likes

28 – Page Likes

1,123 – Tweets

42 – Followers

2 TALK TEXT UMTR

7/27/2019 Issue No. 2 Summer 2014



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Wow, how awesome is this? Our second newsletter and the timing could not have been any better than on our one-yea

anniversary. If I thought a lot happened within the first six months, I could not have anticipated a full year.

I feel absolutely blessed to be part of the wonderful life changing and life saving initiative, UMTR2ME-You Matter To Me

I feel extremely honored and humbled that so many wonderful people have allowed me to be a part of their lives, to

walk with them through the good times and the not so good times.

Many times I am asked how can I be so passionate about something so

dark and dismal as depression, mental illness and suicide. I say, because

know what it’s like to walk through the darkness of hopelessness and

then step into the light of hope.

I love being by the sides of my friends who need that little bit of encouragement when they’re feeling down. I know how

important that feeling can be because I still have some of those days. No one is ever exempt from having a bad day, a

bad week, a bad month, or even a bad year.

You’ve probably noticed, in many of our facebook postings or instgram photos, that we

use their words hope, support and encouragement a lot. The reason for that is because

those words are what we consider to be the building blocks of UMTR2ME. People find

hope when they receive encouragement from those around them who offer support .

So many great things have happened this year and none of it could have happened

without the support of every single person that is a part of the UMTR2ME family. This

year we are having our inaugural anniversary event, called “An Afternoon of

Appreciation.” It is just a small, simple way of saying “thank you” to those who have

su orted and encoura ed UMTR2ME throu hout our first ear.

A Special “Thank You” from Jimm

UMTR2ME Building Blocks:

Hope, Support and Encouragement

Surf City Marathon Fundraiser

We are excited to announce our first fundraiser at the

Surf City USA Marathon being held in Huntington

Beach, CA on Super Bowl Sunday February 2, 2014.

Jimm has already begun his 30 week training

program to get him primed and ready to give

a solid representation of not only UMTR2ME, but

everyone who supports this life changing and life

saving initiative, as well as those all over the world

who pick up their sword daily to fight their battles with

depression, mental illness and thoughts of suicide.

If you would like to find out more about this event or make a donation

please visit umtr2me.org/surf-city-marathon-fundraiser/. Your thoughtfulness, no matter what the amount, is

greatly appreciated.

7/27/2019 Issue No. 2 Summer 2014



UMTR2M

1670 Pember Avenue

Chula Vista, CA 91913

760.440.UMTR (8687)

www.umtr2me.org

“Giving up is not an option, it’s a choice. Decide to make the right choice

August 2013

08/01- UMTR2ME one-year anniversary

08/10 – An Afternoon of Appreciation event

September 2013

09/01-09/30 – Suicide Prevention Month

09/08-09/14 – Suicide Prevention Week

09/10 – World Suicide Prevention Day

October 2013

10/19 – San Diego AFSP Out of the Darkness Walk

10/26 – Los Angeles AFSP Out of the Darkness Walk

November 2013

11/10 – SOSLSD Save A Life Walk

Upcoming Events

Check your local area for upcoming events

UMTR2ME Vision

Our vision, very simple, we want you to say to someone, UMTR2ME, and when they ask you what that

means, that’s your opportunity to tell them, “You Matter To Me.” We want you to tell someone today,

“You Matter To Me,” because you may not have the opportunity to do it tomorrow.

UMTR2ME Mission

To provide quality support, hope, motivation and education for individuals who are struggling with mental

illness, depression, thoughts of suicide or who have attempted suicide. To personally provide local support

in San Diego, CA, as well as national and international support through e-mail and online social media

platforms like facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and through the UMTR2ME website.

Bracelet Information

[email protected]

Donation Information

[email protected]

General Information

[email protected]

Share Your Story

[email protected]

Social Media/Outreach

[email protected]

issue no. 2 summer 2014

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