Event Features Keynote Address, Breakout Sessions
Rockbridge Nourish Together will host a free Suicide Prevention Month Community Dinner on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 5:30 p.m. at the Virginia Horse Center's Appomattox Mezzanine. The event is open to everyone in the Rockbridge area, and there is no cost to attend.
The gathering is built around a simple idea: that people are better able to find help, and better able to offer it, when they know their neighbors and know what is available close to home. The evening will include a free dinner, resource tables staffed by local organizations, and time set aside for open conversation about suicide prevention.
“There is something about sitting down at a table together that opens people up,” said Tammy Reid, who is coordinating the event. “So many of our neighbors are carrying something heavy and think they're the only one. We want every person who walks through that door to leave knowing they are not alone, and knowing exactly who to call if they need help.”
Wayne Handley, PhD, will deliver the evening's keynote. A licensed professional counselor with more than 30 years of experience across public safety, military service, emergency medical operations, and mental health, Handley has spent his career at the intersection of crisis and care. He is a longtime advocate for suicide prevention, and his work centers on resilience, hope, and the conviction that every life is worth fighting for.
“In 30 years of responding to people on the worst day of their lives, the thing I keep coming back to is how often a single conversation changed the outcome,” Handley said. “Suicide prevention is not just the work of clinicians. It belongs to all of us — the neighbor who notices, the coworker who asks a second time, the friend who stays on the phone. Every life is worth fighting for, and most of the time the fight starts with somebody being willing to ask.”
Following the keynote address, attendees will be able to join breakout sessions hosted by organizations serving the Rockbridge area. Participating organizations include:
• Rockbridge Recovery — peer-led recovery support, housing, and outreach.
• Rockbridge Area Community Services — community mental health, developmental, and substance use services.
• Connections Plus Hospice — end-of-life care and grief and bereavement support.
• Rockbridge Area Health Center — primary and behavioral health care.
• Rockbridge County Sheriff's Office — crisis response and community safety.
• Alleghany Highlands Community Services Mobile Crisis Team.
The sessions are designed to be conversations rather than presentations, giving residents a chance to ask questions, learn what services exist, and share ideas for strengthening the community's support for mental health.
The dinner is made possible through the support of the Community Foundation for Rockbridge, Bath, and Alleghany Counties; Rockbridge CAN Connect & Nourish; Unity 4 Kids; and the Buena Vista Police Foundation.
Attendance is free, but organizers ask that guests RSVP so they can plan for dinner. To reserve a seat, contact Reid at (540) 784-2659 or [email protected].
If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers free, confidential support 24 hours a day. Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org.
