If anyone is out in Ferndale, Mich. today, I will be at the 11th Annual DIY Street Fair, on the east side of Woodward on 9 Mile, from 2:45 to 7 p.m. So, if you stop by — come to the beer tent, say hi and drink some brew to benefit one of my all-time favorite organizations!
All tips made today will be going to the nonprofit Six Feet Over. I, hopefully, will have a lot of people asking me about the organization, so I decided to brush up on my knowledge by doing what I do best — writing about it! So, even if you don't come out today (booooo), you can still learn about this fantastic organization and the work they do for suicide prevention.
Six Feet Over was founded by this amazing woman — Kate Hardy — in 2013. She has gone through what no one should ever have to go through — the suicide of her mother and seven other loved ones in her lifetime. She decided to take these tragedies and use them to try and make sure no one else has to go through what she went through.Kate, who was 20 years old at the time, didn't get much time to grieve her mother before she was thrust into being the funeral planner and the mortgage payer. Even though her mother had life insurance, the payout was only 1/10 what it would have been if she died any other way. So, Kate created this nonprofit to help take away at least one burden from family members dealing with the aftermath of a loved one’s suicide.
Six Feet Over services the Detroit tri-county area (Oakland, Macomb and Wayne) and raises money to help those left behind after a suicide with funeral costs, bio-hazard clean up, memorial services, unpaid time off work, etc. Money raised is also used to educate, train and equip individuals with helpful and relevant resources to encourage awareness, understanding, and conversation about suicide.
The community outreach arm of the nonprofit is called Suck It! Suicide (best name ever). This program targets musicians, artists and non-mainstream people who may not feel comfortable talking about mental illness in support groups.“Our goals are to help survivors of suicide loss, mental health struggles or those loving someone with mental health struggles so suicides are reduced, stigma is shattered and healing and communities are priorities,” Kate said.
"We have gained momentum in the advocacy world, locally and nationally. ... I had no aspirations to do this, but I have found that this is what I was born to do."
If you can't come today, you can still donate to the organization by visiting sixftover.org/get-involved/#donate. Follow Suck It! Suicide on Facebook and Twitter.
Today, I'm pouring beer for a cause! If anyone is out in Ferndale, Mich. today, I will be at the 11th Annual DIY Street Fair, on the...
