The White House last week honored
suicide prevention groups, including The
Trevor Project and the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education
Network (GLSEN),
who focus on LGBT teens.
In a video announcing the Obama
administration's Champions
of Change program, White House Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett
says: “The White House is proud to feature these stories of
Americans who are doing extraordinary things in their communities to
out innovate, out educate, and out build the rest of the world.”
“Suicide takes the lives of nearly
34,000 Americans every year,” the administration said in a release.
“These Champions of Change are working to lower that statistic, to
combat bullying in schools and sports, to provide resources for
communities, and to educate individuals and groups across the
country.”
The Trevor Project Executive Director
David L. McFarland and Founder James C. Lecesne and GLSEN Executive
Director Eliza Byard and Public Policy Manager Alison Gill attended
last week's ceremony at the White House.
Both non-profits work to create a safe
space in school for LGBT teens.
The Trevor Project runs the nation's
only 24-hour suicide prevention hotline for gay and questioning
youth.
Other groups recognized include the
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Blue Star Families, the
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the Suicide Prevention Resource
Center, Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, The Suicide Prevention
Action Network and the National Institute of Mental Health.