HFTD + Learn For Lauren

On Sunday, November 18th Hope For The Day had the privilege of teaming up with the Learn For Lauren Foundation to teach our signature Proactive Prevention Workshop.

Learn For Lauren was founded in honor of Lauren Vitrano, who died by suicide in 2017. The foundation is driven to “starting the conversation on mental illness and suicide awareness, providing resources, and continuing Lauren’s legacy of life-long education by funding the Lauren Taylor Vitrano Memorial Scholarship.”

Together HFTD and Learn For Lauren had a proactive afternoon, teaching a full classroom about the obstacles, tools, and strategies to enable effective mental health care and eliminate the highest risk factors of suicide; like stigmas and the lack of resources.

Educating our communities on mental health is imperative because suicide IS preventable with the right tools and resources. We must break the silence of stigma by teaching our friends, family members, neighbors, and classmates that It’s Ok Not To Be Ok. We must empower individuals to speak up about their mental health challenges and release pressure build-up before crisis. We must show everyone that there are resources available and hope for a better quality of life.

As Lauren’s younger sister, Amanda Vitrano states, “Mental illness is as real as day and you have the ability to educate yourself about it. Fill your brain with knowledge and your heart with compassion.”

Thank you to all who participated in this weekend’s event. We look forward to continuing our Proactive Prevention education initiative with Learn for Lauren.

Our next FREE Proactive Prevention Workshop is Dec. 8th.

Register here.