WHITEFISH — A non-profit in the Flathead is hosting four community educational events designed to equip community members with vital skills for supporting someone going through suicidal thoughts as part of National Suicide Prevention Month.
The Nate Chute Foundation out of Whitefish is hosting the education nights with the first one taking place on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023, at 7 p.m. at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m.
“It’s never too soon to start talking about these things before people actually get into that crisis mode,” said Nate Chute Foundation Community Outreach Coordinator Corrie Holloway.
Helping people take action to prevent suicide is what the Nate Chute Foundation aims to do over the next two weeks.
“They’re designed to equip community members with the support that people might need that are dealing with suicidal thoughts and connecting them with the resources that they need,” said Holloway.
Holloway said event attendees will gain crucial skills for suicide prevention, including making their homes safer, learning how to communicate about suicide in a safe way, and how to recognize the signs of a mental health crisis.
“Reminds people to reach out, to their community members, friends that they haven’t spoken to in a while or maybe even the people that seem like they’re doing okay, sometimes aren’t.”
The Nate Chute Foundation was founded in 1999 as a way to honor Flathead Valley native Nate Chute, who tragically died by suicide shortly after graduating high school.
“It’s kids, it’s teenagers, it’s adults, it’s veterans, it’s our elderly, there’s a lot of people that struggle with mental health issues and it’s something that we all need to reduce that stigma around getting help and asking for help,” said Holloway.
The suicide prevention community education nights — which last 90 minutes — are free and open to the public.
- Whitefish: Sept. 19, 7 p.m. - Whitefish Performing Arts Center
- Bigfork: Sept. 21, 7 p.m. - Bigfork Art and Cultural Center
- Columbia Falls: Sept. 26, 7 p.m. - Columbia Falls High School - Little Theater
- Kalispell: Sept. 28, 7 p.m. - Flathead High School - Flex Rooms
You can call or text 988, which is the new mental crisis hotline. There is also a mobile access team that can come to you when you call that number. You can also text MT to 751751.
Click here to visit the website for the Montana chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness for more information and resources.
