The Conference
Katja Kare: Suicide Impact and Awareness was held on October 1, 1999 at the Grand Haven Community Center. The entire building was reserved for this purpose so that a variety of activities could comfortably take place. The auditorium was reserved for the main speakers. The first item of business in the auditorium was the presentation of a proclamation by the city of Grand Haven, naming this date "Suicide Awareness Day". The presentation was made by Mayor Gail Ringelberg and received by Joan Tourison on behalf of the Katja Kare Advisory Committee. The keynote speaker was Betsy Ross, who is a suicide survivor and has spoken across the country on this topic. She has authored a book entitled After Suicide: A Ray of Hope, which was on sale at the conference and Betsy was available for signings. Betsy also led an informational breakout session and two support group sessions. She was particularly apprechiated by survivors who attended the conference and even went out to dinner with group of them at the end of the day. Jack Klott, a suicidologist from Kalamazoo, Michigan, led an all day workshop on suicide prevention for area professionals who attended the conference. This was heavily attended by school counselors, who received quality information on recognizing the danger signs of suicide. Katja would be so pleased! Conference day held two glitches. One breakout session speaker experienced unexpected car trouble coming from Grand Rapids and was unable to make it to the conference. One of the conference volunteers quickly stepped in and led an impromptu discussion group. Several attendees were interviewed following this and all were pleased and satisfied with the experience. The second glitch involved lack of foresight on the part of the planners. A boxed lunch was included in the price of of admission but there was insufficient seating available throughout the building to relax during the lunch hour. This was the main source of complaint in the conference evaluations. During the day, booths were set up in the main hall to add to the conference experience. SOLOS, an organization that provides suicide support groups throughout the area, provided information and support. The Bookman came with a carefully planned assortment of books available for purchase. Other booths passed out literature pertaining depression, medications and resources. Because of the sensitive nature of this conference, Community Mental Health provided several staff members who attended the conference and wore ribbons to identify themselves as resource persons for anyone who felt the need of on-site emotional support. The day ended with a memorial service for any survivors who wished to attend. A choir ensemble from Grand Haven High School provided music and each participant had an opportunity to specifically honor their loved ones. The hospice chaplain was an integral part of the program and remained available to provide any needed support. Although this portion of the program generated many tears, it was also a very much appreciated event. One hundred ten people attended the Katja Kare Conference, with 67 clinical persons and 43 family members. Persons attending the Jack Klott workshop received, in their registration packets, a 45 page clinical handout which companioned his presentation. All attendees received a conference program, an informational booklet on depression, a copy of the Suicide Awareness Day proclamation, an invitation to the Memorial Service and a workshop evaluation form. Certificates of Attendance were also provided to the professionals who needed them. Of the 110 people attending the conference, 30 returned workshop evaluations. The enclosed "Evaluation Profile" gives numeric values to attendee satisfaction as well as listing many of the comments. |
