World Suicide Prevention Day was celebrated on Sept. 10, in accordance

with International Association for Suicide Prevention.

The Sociology Club, alongside the Health Services, welcomed With Hope: The Amber Craig Memorial Foundation back to campus for their second presentation regarding mental illness and suicide prevention.

Fullerton College President Greg Schulz also welcomed the group back to campus, saying that attending the seminar was the “best informative thing” he’s ever attended and even offered his personal email for any students seeking help.

The foundation was created 11 years ago after Amber Craig, straight A student and star soccer play, took her own life in her Yorba Linda home.

Her mother, Annette Craig, and the rest of her family, had no idea that the 14 year old was battling an inner battle with depression.

In hopes to save lives, the Craig family created the foundation to reach out to the community.

Room 1440 quickly filled with students looking for extra credit, information and help.

“I decided to come for not only the extra credit, but also because it sounded really interesting,” said Jessica, a Sociology major.

Attendees were provided with information folders filled with handouts outlining signs of depression, how to react to self-harm and statistics regarding suicide.

According to the World Health Organization, depression is the world’s leading health problem, plaguing 3-5% of teens, and it is approximated that 8% of college students have a suicide plan. When the auditorium was asked if they had lost someone to suicide, approximately 40 people raised their hands.

“Please do not leave today if you need help,” Craig said.

Raising awareness is so important to the Craig family, because many often do not know what to do when they’re faced with the life-saving decision to reach out for help.

“The goal of a suicidal person is not to kill themselves, but to make the pain stop. If they can’t figure out any other way, then they decide to make themselves stop,” Craig explained.

On their website, the Foundation has links to helplines and informational resources to help those in need.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: (800) 273-TALK

National Suicide Hotline: (800) SUICIDE

Boys Town: (800) 443-1833

The Hope Line: (800) 394-HOPE

Cutting and Self-Injury: (800) DONTCUT