A Message from President and CEO Kimberly Williams

Thank you for supporting the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. As the administrator of the Lifeline, we’re grateful that you are an important part of the Vibrant Emotional Health community. Your generosity, along with donors across all of Vibrant’s programs, provided valuable resources that has allowed us to extend our reach to ensure that everyone can achieve emotional well-being. I am grateful for your trust, confidence, and investment in our work.

As we mark the beginning of National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, it is my pleasure to share the first issue of our Donor Impact Report with you. This report is our opportunity to share how all of our donors are making a difference as we strive to make sure that our crisis and emotional support services are available when, where, and how people need them. We could have never predicted the events of 2020—and the increased demand for our services. Since the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent racial unrest fueled by the events surrounding George Floyd’s death began, our crisis hotline and emotional support programs have seen an incredible uptick in activity. For example:

• The Disaster Distress Helpline has seen a 335% average increase in calls compared to the five months prior
• NYC Well has experienced a 25% increase in call, text, and chat volume
• Vibrant’s Crisis Emotional Care Team is expanding in order to meet numerous requests to provide emotional support to front line workers and communities impacted by COVID
• Vibrant’s Training Department has trained a record number of individuals in building emotional resilience in this time of distress.

Your support was critical to ensuring that we were able to meet this need. We invite you to read the below stories about our impact over these past few months. We hope you will join us on this journey through periodic updates in our future Donor Impact Reports to see how we continue to apply your investment, and how we are adapting to the pressures of the evolving environment—COVID-19, racial injustice, and other threats to America’s mental health.

But, most importantly, I want to recognize each and every one of you—our donors. Because of you, Vibrant Emotional Health is able to be there for those who need support in our country in these complicated and stressful times. Thanks to your support, we were able to respond to the increase in need without missing a beat as the COVID-19 crisis hit, adapting our work environments — call centers, direct service programs, and administrative offices — to remote workspaces—all without sacrificing the quality or availability of our services. We couldn’t have done it without your investment in our work. We are so grateful for your partnership.

Thank you again. I look forward to keeping you updated as we work to ensure that our local communities emerge from this crisis resilient and strong, and that those in need of  mental health supports during these incredibly difficult times receive them when, where, and how they are needed most.

Warmly,

Kimberly Williams
President & CEO

		Making a Difference When it’s Needed Most: The National Disaster Distress Hotline Since 2012, the Disaster Distress helpline has been providing immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster. Learn more about about his vital program and how we’re responding during the COVID-19 crisis by clicking below.
		Leading by Example: Cassandra Rivera Cassandra Rivera, the Program Director for Vibrant’s Older ACT program, was recently recognized for her work during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Learn more about Cassandra and how she and her team are helping others.
		Expanding our Reach: The Crisis Emotional Care Team An important piece in our work is supporting resilience within local communities following disasters, emergencies, or localized crisis events. Vibrant is expanding the reach of our Crisis Emotional Care Team to ensure individuals and communities across America have the resources they need to recover.

Author Comms Team

Comments are closed here.