Click here to register for the Samaritans Remembrance Ceremony for Suicide Survivors. Registration closes on Friday, November 14, 2008.

On Saturday, November 22, the Samaritans, a program of Family and Children’s Service of the Capital Region, Inc., will collaborate with the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention’s (AFSP) Capital Region Chapter in hosting a site for the 10th National Survivors of Suicide Day. The Samaritans annual Remembrance Ceremony will be held on the nationally recognized Survivor’s Day and will include the Survivor’s Day webcast, an expert speaker on grief and loss, and a family program.,

National Survivors of Suicide Day was created by U.S. Senate resolution through the efforts of Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, who lost his father to suicide. Every year, AFSP sponsors Survivor’s Day to provide an opportunity for the survivor community to come together for support, healing, information and empowerment. National Survivors of Suicide Day links simultaneous survivor conferences throughout the country and internationally via a 90-minute broadcast. This year there will be seven host sites in the Capital Region.

The Samaritans site will also include their annual Remembrance Ceremony which is being organized in collaboration with community partners Capital District Psychiatric Center (CDPC) Family Support and the Office of Mental Health, Department of Recipient Affairs.

Pre-registration is required for all sites. The Samaritans' site will be held at The Desmond Hotel and Conference Center in Colonie from 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. For the Samaritans' site pre-registration is also necessary in order for families to have their loved-one included in the program and audio-visual presentation. Please contact Jill Ordoñez, at 462-6531 ext 126, or email at jordonez@fcscapitalregion.org, for more information. For the other six sites, please contact Mary Jean Coleman at 899-0021, email at mjcoleman@afsp.org or visit the AFSP web site at www.AFSP.org.