This year, I’m doing something a little bit different for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and all.
Instead of a discount, I’m donating 25% of all sales to help prevent suicide. Suicide rates are on the rise in the United States, while at the same time funding for mental illness is mediocre at best, and most insurance policies severely restrict mental health coverage. Up until recently, I had not been directly affected by suicide, but the suicide of Anthony Bourdain (who I adore) hit hard.
That changed in October, when one of my daughter’s best friends, Emma, committed suicide. It’s devastating, and absolutely heartbreaking to lose a loved one this way.
From now through November 30, 2018, I’m donating 25% of all sales in my shop to help prevent suicide, to help with research into the brain, and to help those left behind. This is in honor of Emma and all who have left us by their own hand, and with hope that our donations may help prevent this from happening to others, and may also help scientists learn more about how the brain functions and how to heal mental illness. This 25% will be split equally between five organizations: the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, The Trevor Project, the National Veterans Foundation and the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, which is “committed to alleviating the suffering caused by mental illness by awarding grants that will lead to advances and breakthroughs in scientific research” and is an organization I learned of from Emma’s mother.
I’ll also be donating a portion of that 25% manually to the Alliance of Hope, which is an organization founded in 2008 to help those who have lost loved ones to suicide. I had hoped to add this organization to the automatic donations on my site, but Pledgling is still in the process of adding it as an organization in their system. Once Pledgling adds it to their list, I’ll adjust the automatic donations in my shop to include this organization as well.
Beginning December 1, 5% of all sales moving forward will be split between these five organizations, so know that a portion of every purchase you make will be going to help others. I hope together we can help make a difference.
Read more about these organizations here.
For all U.S. readers, I wish you the very best Thanksgiving, full of family, friends, love and joy. And for everyone, I wish you all the love and joy of your family and friends, each and every day.
Jennifer