Cookies for a cause: Suicide prevention fundraiser delivering homemade cookies to your door
Sunlight Now Suicide Prevention Network doesn't sugarcoat things when it comes to informing the public about the perils of suicide, the devastation it leaves behind, and the dire need for support services. But when it comes to fundraising to further its mission, sugar is, in fact, the main ingredient. From August 30th through September 5th, the non-profit will hold a virtual bake sale for residents in the Boise area, called Cookies for a Cause. Orders can be placed online at https://sunlightnow.org/cookies and fresh-baked, warm from the oven cookie bars will be delivered to supporters' doors. All COVID safety guidelines will be followed and no-contact delivery is available. All proceeds from sales will help further Sunlight Now's cause of providing lifesaving services for those struggling with severe depression and thoughts of suicide.
BOISE, Idaho, Aug. 31, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Sunlight Now was born of broken hearts. It was founded by Adam and Kayla Walz, a young couple who are intimately familiar with the toll suicide takes. It was just over a year ago this month, on August 2nd, that their lives were forever changed when Kayla's brother, Kanden Dalhon Mathie, took his own life at age 21.
"Words can't describe how painful it was losing Kanden. It happened a few weeks after our daughter was born and threw our new family into absolute despair and disfunction," explained Adam. "We are forever changed and forever damaged by the loss. But as we started putting the pieces back together, we decided to take action and to take a new approach to preventing suicide."
Adam and Kayla researched the suicide prevention services and programs available in their community and around the community and decided that Sunlight Now would take a different tack – a proactive one. Rather than sitting back and waiting for people to access the resources it offers, the organization actively contacts high risk individuals through its network of over 1,000 member organizations around the country. In the few short months since it has been in operation, Sunlight Now has been effectively making early connections with at-risk individuals who may have never reached out on their own or did not even know how to find resources.
To date, Adam and Kayla have covered all costs associated with providing services. Cookies for a Cause will help them begin to scale the organization and provide a reliable funding source to grow outreach.
"Sunlight Now builds relationships with people who need a hand up but are not in a place where they can ask for it or look for it. Our team is there for them when they need it most and can connect them directly to the appropriate community-based mental health programs near them," said Kayla. "Kanden could no longer see that there was a light at the end of the tunnel he was stuck inside and he did not know how to tell that to us. We want to make sure that others who are in a dark place can not only see the light but can again stand in the sun and shine."
All funds raised will be used to provide life-saving support and resources to people who are struggling with severe depression and thoughts of suicide. Sunlight Now also offers free online suicide prevention preparedness training to the public. For more information about Sunlight Now, go to sunlightnow.org.
"Cookies are our family's go-to comfort food and it felt like the right fit for our cause. Not to mention that our cookie bars are quite simply the best and pretty hard to say "no" to," added Adam. "We want to give donors a treat for helping the cause in addition to their knowing they are making an important difference in saving lives."
To place a cookie order, go to https://sunlightnow.org/cookies.
SOURCE Sunlight Now
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