January 5, 2025 • 30 mins
JENNIFER DISCUSSES KEVIN'S SONG, A NONPROFIT DEDICATED TO GENERATING PUBLIC AWARENESS ABOUT THE CAUSES AND PREVALENCE OF SUICIDE IN MICHIGAN AND POSSIBLE PREVENTIVE MEASURES TO HELP OUR COMMUNITY.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Light Up to D, a focus on what's
happening in our community from the people who make it happen.
Here's your host, iHeartMedia Detroit Market President Colleen Grat.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Good morning and welcome to another episode of Light Up
the D. I'm your host, Colleen Grant. Thanks so much
for joining me today. We have a really important conversation
we're going to have today. And you've probably been affected
or known somebody who's been affected by this subject, and
so I appreciate you kind of leaning in with me.
And you know, we all got to kind of get
through things together. And so there's an organization out there
(00:33):
that's going to help us well, By gosh, we're going
to try and talk to them on this program, and
we have one here today. So our guest is Jennifer
fair Margraft. She's the executive director of Kevin's Song, a
nonprofit five oh one c three charitable organization founded in
twenty thirteen that's dedicated to generating public awareness about the
causes and prevalence of suicide in our society, particularly in Michigan,
(00:56):
and possible preventative measures. Ms MAR is responsible for overseeing
administration programs and the strategic plan of Kevin's song. She
has extensive extensive leadership background and has held leadership positions
across many organizations. I saw the list throughout Illinois, Indiana,
and Michigan in particular speaking with us today about Kevin's
(01:18):
Song and particularly about Kevin's Song Annual Conference on Suicide
happening in January. Please join me and welcoming Jennifer Margraf.
Thank you so much for joining us.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Good morning, Colleen. It's a pleasure to be here.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
So I mentioned in the beginning important subject and particularly
you know, going into the darker months. You know, it's like, gosh,
we just need some sunshine in our lives sometimes, you know,
to help get us through this this time period. But
it's a lot more serious for a lot of people
than just getting some sunshine. And you know, those are
(01:51):
the people that your organization helps, you know, to navigate
really challenging things in life. And I think what would
be helpful is we kind of start with how did
Kevin's song come about? Oh?
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Sure, in twenty thirteen, a young man, well forty one
years old, Kevin or So, died by suicide and that's young.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Lets it is clear on that forty one is young.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
And quite honestly, what we're seeing in what statistics uphold
is that men in his age group through sixty five
seventy our highest level of those taking their own lives
and dying by suicide. And in twenty thirteen, you know
here we are almost in twenty twenty five. We think
(02:36):
that we have all kinds of cutting edge ideas and help.
And at the time Kevin's parents, John and Gail or
So didn't know where to turn. They were looking for answers.
They wanted to know why and how this happened and
how they could deal with their own complex grief. And
they have two other sons, Brian and Justin, and trying
(02:56):
to get themselves, the whole family the friends. As suicide
can reach, typically one hundred and thirty five people for
every suicide are touched. Usually there's many, many more. And
so the Ursos decided that after finding our sister organizations
that we have here in Southeast Michigan, that they wanted
(03:17):
to start an organization where people could come for learning
about prevention of suicide and awareness of it and educating
themselves both preventive and postvention way. And so they started
Kevin's Song with a very supportive group of friends who
(03:38):
became the then board of directors and many of whom
are still with us years later.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
And why Kevin's song? Why that name?
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Kevin loved music, and I've asked the question several times
and gotten different answers. They wanted to be able to
really exemplify moving things forward, keeping it upbeat his love
of music, and John one day looked at at Galen
said Kevin's song, and the answer was yes, absolutely, that's perfect.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
So in the beginning you had talked about specifically on
males in that age cell you said he was forty one.
Kevin was forty one. And I've read statistics that suicide
rates have continued to rise in recent years. In your view,
what are some of the most critical factors driving the
increase in suicide rates?
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Well, the rise in suicide rate is it's really a
complex issue influenced by There are so many factors. It's
really a multifaceted problem. But some of the most critical
ones are just mental health issues. Conditions like depression, anxiety,
bipolar disorder. These are really significant factors and many people
struggling with these conditions they just might not receive adequate
(04:55):
treatment their substance abuse. The ongoing opioid epidemic and the
misuse of alcohol and other substances can really exacerbate feelings
of hopelessness and despair, and that unfortunately increases the risk
of suicide. There's social isolation coming out of the pandemic.
Of course, many people are still working from home. Many
(05:16):
people the lack of social support can really lead to
increased feelings of isolation and depression. Economic stresses, especially this
time of year you're wanting to possibly meet holiday goals
that you've set for yourself. Increases in heating costs for
your home, groceries, things like that. Access to means, I mean,
(05:37):
in the state of Michigan, there's a lot of rural
areas as well as in the urban areas. There's lethal means,
firearms and medications that can increase the likelihood we'll see.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
I want to say that this is a youth.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Issue, but it really does affect adults as well. Bullying
and cyber bullying and there's been a link to increased
suicide rates there. Those who have chronic illness and pain, honestly,
they may experience a diminished quality of life and leads
to increased risk of suicide, and the biggest one that
Kevin Sung really works towards is the stigma around mental health.
(06:13):
The lack of awareness and mental health issues prevents individuals
from seeking help, and this can lead to untreated mental
health conditions, which for since over time, and addressing these
factors requires, like I had said, a multifaceted approach, including
improving mental health care access, reducing that stigma, providing economic support,
and then creating supportive communities.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
So yeah, I mean, the reducing of the stigma I
think has been something that over the course of my
years have really appreciated that people aren't as afraid to
talk about so many different things these days, and in
particular try to figure out how to help people with
depression or things that might contribute to their feelings towards suicide.
(06:55):
It's just so nice to know that we're much more
open than I mean, I think about my parents generation,
and there's no way people would have talked about stuff
like that. They never It would have been like shuffled
under the rug and nobody would really talk about it
if it happened. And now, like you know, we got
to help each other get through things like that, So
that just seems like such a crucial part today. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Absolutely, stigma. It still is very much out there to
even say the word suicide. When when people ask what
I do and I answer that, I often get a
very large, raised eyebrow, bug eyed look from people of
oh okay is usually the answer is like, it's okay
to talk about. It's something we have to talk. It
(07:36):
affects everybody. It doesn't have a socioeconomic barrier to it.
It doesn't care who you are, where you are, where
you come from. And I think when you're looking at
a society like ERSA has so many generations, like you
were saying, with your parents' generation, it's become learned that
there are certain things we don't talk about. And it's
(07:59):
really exciting to see more and more people being willing
to talk about, understanding that it's okay to say, you know,
not okay, I need help, and being able to ask.
But there still is a stigma attached in many parts
in subcultures of our communities that you just don't cross
that line. You don't you don't ask for the help.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Right well, and in particular, suicide rates are just you know,
disproportionately high among vulnerable groups like lgbt Q plus youth,
African Americans and veterans. You know, we've definitely heard that
there are areas, you know, different populations that are even
more susceptible. How does Kevin Song and the things that
(08:43):
you're you have coming up address those specific challenges for
each group?
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Okay, well you have to. What we tend to do
is we look at each each group of the population
as their own individuals and realize that our communities are
diverse and they need equitable help and treatment and things
like that, and so we offer education. Our main education
(09:09):
is our annual Conference on Suicide. This will be our
ninth annual suicide conference. It is the largest conference in
suicide in the state of Michigan, and it's held annually
in January in Plymouth at the Saint John's Resort. And
I will talk more about that as.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Well the future.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
But we also know just resource sharing, making sure that
resources are available to either those who are having suicidal
ideations or the friends, families, colleagues, loved ones of those
or people who who are now dealing with suicide laws.
They are the survivors. Community education and engagement, just getting
(09:50):
out and talking about it and sharing the awareness and
saying it's okay to talk about it, but then also
collaborating with specific organizations, whether be the LGBTQ plus the
African American veterans, getting to those populations and connecting them
with the resources that are already there. We have so
(10:11):
many people on the ground working toward this in in
Southeast Michigan, Michigan Great Lakes, the United States. We're all
working toward this to make sure that anyone who needs
the resources has them available, and you just have to ask.
And if I don't have a resource available, believe me,
(10:32):
I will find the resource for you and connect you.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Yeah, listen, folks, I just met Jennifer and I'm telling
you she will find the resource to help you. So
if you if you need help, or you know somebody
who needs help and you're just not sure what to do,
you know, Kevin's Song is definitely an organization that's that's
here to support you and help you find those resources
they don't have them. Hey, let's dell in a little
bit in detail. You know, we've talked about the LGBTQU
(10:58):
population and African Americans and veteran and so that those
specific organizations have unique things to them that you know
that might lend them to be more susceptible to a
higher suicide rate. Can you discuss any programs or initiatives
within Kevin's song that specifically focus on the mental health
needs of Let's start with the LGBTQ community specifically.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
I recently he had one of the FLAG chapters in
our area reach out. They wanted to talk about suicide
in the LGBTQ that this is this is a population
that is at higher risk for suicide. There's there's a
lot of bullying, a lot of stigma around and misunderstanding
(11:43):
about that community. I'm a proud ally and I get
really really heightened when I hear negative things. So we
work with like p FLAG to provide speakers at their
meetings and just making sure that the resources are available
both on our website and if someone were to send
(12:05):
an email or they call me. A lot of times
I'm immediately googling to see, Okay, where are you located,
what do you have immediately in your background? If I
don't have that available, who can I get for you
that will help you.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
Let's move on to the African American community. They have
unique cultural and historical challenges. What are some of the
barriers they face in accessing mental health care and how
can those be addressed as well?
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Oh my goodness, So the African American communities have a
lot of barriers that we are trying to break down.
Of course, stigma. Of course, there there's socioeconomic disparities. There's
higher rates of poverty and lack of health insurance make
it really difficult to afford any kind of health care,
(12:52):
let alone mental health care. A lot of cultural mistrust
historically and ongoing experience of racism and discrimination contribute to
distrust of the healthcare system as a whole, and that
can really detern individual from seeking care. If you think
that you're going to go into this and one you're
not going to be taken seriously, They're not going to
talk to you, they won't listen to you, and then
(13:14):
they just look at you. Huh that why would you
want to reach out? Lack of representation, there's a shortage
of mental health professional who are culturally competent and who
understand the specific needs of African American patients. We need
to get really people, absolutely really important. If you if
(13:36):
you want to trust someone, you have to be able
to look at them and absolutely get that they understand
where you're coming from, what you're facing differently in our community,
that people in a suburb adjacent to you might be
dealing with people that you work with. They want to
(13:56):
know that you get who they are, and you need
you need to have those representations out there in the
community and see them. There's been institutional discrimination African Americans
receiving lower quality of care. I mean, this is talked
about often and it's it's unfortunately a truth that we
(14:17):
need to face up and own and change. But their
solutions with their barriers and so community education, increasing awareness
about mental health and reducing that stigma, and culturally competent care,
you know, training people who are African American to help
(14:37):
those There are so many really great providers out there
who know what they're doing, have been there, have done that,
and want to help their community. Policy changes, you got
to advocate for policies and address the socioeconomic disparities such
as you've we've got to expand the health care insurance
coverage and increase funding for mental health services to unders
(15:00):
served communities and that can improve access, community support networks,
and then research and advocacy just realizing that everyone deserves
to be heard and have mental health across the board.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
And amen to that. The veterans face very distinct mental challenges,
including PTSD. What role does Kevin's Song play and supporting
veterans struggling with mental health issues and suicide risk.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
We try to play a significant role in supporting veterans
who are struggling with mental health and suicide risk through
a comprehensive approach to suicide awareness and mental health awareness,
and in our annual conference on Suicide. Kevin Song hosts
an annual conference of course that had mentioned, and we
(15:48):
have specific breakout sessions that deal with veterans and things
like PTSD and what the current research that's being done,
the therapies that are working best with them, what groups
are available to them. Everyone of immediately says, we'll have
(16:08):
the VA help them. That isn't always the answer for
every veteran. So there are many other grassroots organizations out
there that we work with and are aware of who
are doing great things and have the expertise because so
many of them are veterans themselves. And again, just knowing
(16:30):
what that community and population knows and has been through
and the familial sense of our military of trusting each
other more than others, which you know, when you're on
a battlefield they've got your back, and just knowing that
when you're back in the civilian world, they still have
(16:51):
your back and they want to be there for you
and have great organizations to help with issues.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
So you've brought up the the conference in January in
Plymouth at Saint John's. Let's get to the nitty gritty's
of it. Nitty gritty of it, because you mentioned that
their breakout you know, breakout sessions for veterans. But what
else is going on at the conference? Give us an
overview of what distinguishes it, you know, from other mental
health suicide prevention events. What can somebody expect to see there?
(17:23):
Who attends, give us all the good details. Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
So this year our conference teams creating and supporting Lives
Worth Living, and we have a three day conference. We
actually have a fourth day. This will be the second year.
The Wednesday before, which will be January twenty second, is
our pre training day and we're going to be offering
trainings for both late persons as well as clinical things
(17:51):
like the QPR, which is questioned persuade and refer that's
kind of like how CPR is in cardiac health, and
we want everyone in our community to know about CPR.
We want anyone Colleen, you might be talking to one
of your kids or maybe someone that you socialize with,
(18:13):
and just from what they're telling you, if you'd had
the KEPR training, you would be able to know what
questions to ask. And the first question is truly asking
are you thinking about suicide?
Speaker 2 (18:27):
I'm just kidding right to it. Wow, yep.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
So often people are like, oh, we don't say that
because that might put an idea in somebody's head. No,
it is not going to put an idea in someone's head.
And being asked that a lot of times is so
freeing to be able to admit you know, yeah I am.
I need to talk about this, and then referring them
to the correct people and staying with them to get
(18:53):
the help that they need, passing them off to people
that knows what know how to deal with it. We
have safe Talk, which a little bit longer, it's a
four hour training, continuing that, additional questions to ask and
moving through than our professional trainings answer and things like an.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Assist what does QPR Standford again I got the question.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
I'm as question, persuade, persuade, refer sorry about that, Oh
got it? And there is actually a youth one too,
because I mean, if you think about it, I know
my sixteen year old when I say to him different things,
he's like, yeah, you were noverber sixteen. So when I
could say the exact same thing to a teenager, where
(19:36):
if one of their peers said the exact same words,
it will be taken differently totally and they'll listen to it.
And I get that. I in the same way, I'd
rather hear something from a peer than somebody who I
perceive as thinking they know more than I do. My goodness,
we don't like that kind of thing. So again, it's
(19:57):
it's youth talking to other youth and helping them and
helping not answer them, not keep them from you know,
they don't have to do anything clinical. They just have
to do the right thing to get them to the clinical.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Yeah, knowing what questions to ask is half the battle,
as it really is. And I really I'm just that's
a game changer, just asking. I mean, I honestly I
would be so afraid. But now that you've said no,
you just ask It's like, okay, I can do that,
you know, because that could be right there. Everything changes
from that one question on.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
Yep, and you know, take taking the stigma off it
and just being able to say, hey, you know, my
goodness in your situation with what you're going through and
some people may think about dying by suicide or are
you thinking about suicide and just having them hear other
people also you know, I'm not alone. That message of
(20:48):
you are not alone is so important as well.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
All right, so you have some keynote speakers who are
going to play a role in the event this year.
They are kind of setting the tone for the conference
twich again just to remind people, it's January twenty fifth
through twenty seventh, with a pre event date on the
twenty second for training, but the conference itself is the
(21:11):
twenty fifth through the twenty seventh. Talk a little bit
about your keynote speakers. I was going to say, the
focus is creating us and supporting lives worth living. How
are they setting the tone for the conference? What unique
perspectives will they bring? Give us an idea of what
people are going to see when they see the keynote speakers.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Okay, So my goodness. So Thursday is our school Summit
and Youth Day. This is totally focused at those working
in education, in counseling, school counselors, parents, if you deal
with kids, this is the day for you. And we
were bringing in people who are currently doing research for kids.
(21:51):
Sharise Nixon is a doctor at Penn State who is
coming in to talk about her current research dealing with
youth and suicide and the programs that she is currently
working with. We have breakout sessions that why young women
are so why sadness is hitting younger women so much
(22:14):
more than it has in the past, Peer to peer
groups that are happening in schools. We have some professional
workers from three different school systems coming in to talk
about the peer to peer groups they currently have on
the grounds in their school districts that are working and
why they're working. And it's really incredible. So we have
(22:36):
breakout sessions for everything from teachers to better understand, to
the social workers in the schools, to the administrators, to
the clinicians who are dealing with youth. On Friday is
our clinical day. Okay, and this is probably I don't
want to use the word intense because I don't want
to scare anybody off, but if you're looking for what
(23:00):
is the most cutting edge research being done in this
country right now? We're bringing in Bart Andrews, who is
a national leader. Thomas Joyner will be joining us for
our ninth conference. Thomas wrote the seminal work in the
suicide field of why people die by suicide. He's at
Florida State. He is incredible and we're looking forward to
(23:23):
having him back at The breakout sessions that day are vast.
They are all over the place because we're trying to
hit every facet. So one of the breakouts is for
construction workers how to deal with construction workers. We know
that construction workers, for whatever reason, the suicide rates are
incredibly high. They're skyrocketing in this area. So let's bring
(23:45):
in those people who are doing research and have programming
set up. That session alone would be great for anyone
working in HR, owning a construction, you work in construction,
you're a contract. That takeaway alone would be so beneficial
for thousands of people, especially in our area. Then other
(24:07):
sessions where what are the current therapies that are working
and why are we using them? And why are these
therapies helping us create lives worth living. I don't want
to give too much away, but it kind of all
helps to make a life creating a life worth living.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Yeah, I think you have to give as much as
you can away. We want people to know. Yeah, it
was interesting though the way you said about the third day.
You know, it's intense, you know, want to scare people away,
and hopefully, hopefully that's not what's happening right now. Hopefully
it's encouraging people to participate. But who who should attend
the conference?
Speaker 3 (24:43):
So it's always funny when when people ask that, because
because the list of who should attend our conference, we
sum it up on our website and all of our
flyers for it. We literally list who's invited, and it's psychologists,
social workers, licensed counselors, physicians, nurses, medical professionals, educators, teachers,
school administrators, crisis center workers, first responders, law enforcement, firefighters, policymakers,
(25:10):
law survivors, people with lived experience, employers, that human resource
like I had mentioned, veterans and veterans, support groups, parents
and family members, members of the general public, and then
students who are becoming therapists, social workers, things like that.
We work really closely with Wayne State, Michigan State University
(25:33):
of Michigan. Making sure that the students have access to
a conference like this where there are these top level
researchers who most of them have probably read their works
and are using them in their classes. Let them have
access to these people, ask questions and become equipped to
go out and continue this work.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
That's great for people who can't attend the conference though.
What are some things that resources and strategies for learning
more about suicide prevention and mental health that you guys provide.
Speaker 3 (26:05):
Well on our website which is www dot kevins with
an US song two US is there, So there's two
US is right in the center, Kevinssong dot org. We
do have at the top a resource tab that lists
resources that are both local, state, and national. Other great
(26:26):
places of the American Association of Suicideology the AAS dot org.
There's the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention AFSP dot org.
We have a lot of sister organizations. Like I said,
their websites are on our website. Great place to just
land go to the resources and be able to get
(26:47):
that information that you need right there.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
That's great. How can people register for the conference.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
Again also right on the website of free. It is
not free, it's actually a very low cost. So that
was one of Gale and John Urso's major goals was
so often these professional level conferences can be over one
thousand dollars right now, we have early bird registration. Depending
on how many days that you'd like to attend, it
(27:14):
can be anywhere from fifty dollars to around four hundred dollars.
It does include breakfast and lunch each day as well
as all of the keynote and break in the breakout sessions.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
That's great, okay. Again, the email address where you can.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Get the info is www dot Kevin's Song, two S's
indecenter dot org, or visit our Facebook or LinkedIn pages.
We have links right on there that you can click
for registration, more information, and sponsorship information as well.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
Jennifer, what's your favorite thing about what you do?
Speaker 3 (27:49):
Helping people? Being there, being able to get the right
information to people when they need it most.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
That's what it comes down to. So if you're interested
in helping Kevin's Song you heard it at Kevinsong dot org,
or if you if you need some help, you know
this is this is your validation that you can ask
for help and they are there to provide the resources
you need to to help you, and don't be afraid
(28:20):
to make that call. And if you're listening and you're like, wow,
this is a heavy topic for today, I can tell
you that if anything, Jennifer is definitely a light for
you in the darkness. And so the heavy, heavy topic
we're talking about that you may feel that way today
that there is a light at the end of the
(28:41):
tunnel and Kevin's song is that for you for you know,
the crisis helplines though, be aware of the crisis helplines
like nine eight to eight Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The
nine eight eight Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, you dial nine
to eight eight, it's that simple. Or the crisis text
line text hell to seven four to one, seven four
(29:03):
to one. I'm going to repeat those again. They're super important.
The nine eight eight Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. It's as
simple as dialing nine to eight eight on your phone,
or the crisis text line. If you're like, I don't
know if I can even make that call yet, text hello,
it's that simple to seven four to one, seven four
to one. You know, I encourage you to contact resources
(29:24):
like these immediately immediately if you need help. Our guest
today just to remind you of this wonderful person who's
trying to help us all as we navigate our way
through life, has been to Jennifer fair Margraf, the executive
director of Kevin's Song. Thank you so much for joining
us today, Jennifer, we really appreciate what you're doing.
Speaker 3 (29:45):
Thanks, Coleen, I appreciate your help spreading the word.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
This has been light Up the D a community affairs
program from iHeartMedia Detroit. If your organization would like to
get on the program, email Colleen Grant at iHeartMedia. Here
are all episodes on this station's podcast page.
Welcome to Light Up to D, a focus on what's
happening in our community from the people who make it happen.
Here's your host, iHeartMedia Detroit Market President Colleen Grat.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Good morning and welcome to another episode of Light Up
the D. I'm your host, Colleen Grant. Thanks so much
for joining me today. We have a really important conversation
we're going to have today. And you've probably been affected
or known somebody who's been affected by this subject, and
so I appreciate you kind of leaning in with me.
And you know, we all got to kind of get
through things together. And so there's an organization out there
(00:33):
that's going to help us well, By gosh, we're going
to try and talk to them on this program, and
we have one here today. So our guest is Jennifer
fair Margraft. She's the executive director of Kevin's Song, a
nonprofit five oh one c three charitable organization founded in
twenty thirteen that's dedicated to generating public awareness about the
causes and prevalence of suicide in our society, particularly in Michigan,
(00:56):
and possible preventative measures. Ms MAR is responsible for overseeing
administration programs and the strategic plan of Kevin's song. She
has extensive extensive leadership background and has held leadership positions
across many organizations. I saw the list throughout Illinois, Indiana,
and Michigan in particular speaking with us today about Kevin's
(01:18):
Song and particularly about Kevin's Song Annual Conference on Suicide
happening in January. Please join me and welcoming Jennifer Margraf.
Thank you so much for joining us.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Good morning, Colleen. It's a pleasure to be here.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
So I mentioned in the beginning important subject and particularly
you know, going into the darker months. You know, it's like, gosh,
we just need some sunshine in our lives sometimes, you know,
to help get us through this this time period. But
it's a lot more serious for a lot of people
than just getting some sunshine. And you know, those are
(01:51):
the people that your organization helps, you know, to navigate
really challenging things in life. And I think what would
be helpful is we kind of start with how did
Kevin's song come about? Oh?
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Sure, in twenty thirteen, a young man, well forty one
years old, Kevin or So, died by suicide and that's young.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Lets it is clear on that forty one is young.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
And quite honestly, what we're seeing in what statistics uphold
is that men in his age group through sixty five
seventy our highest level of those taking their own lives
and dying by suicide. And in twenty thirteen, you know
here we are almost in twenty twenty five. We think
(02:36):
that we have all kinds of cutting edge ideas and help.
And at the time Kevin's parents, John and Gail or
So didn't know where to turn. They were looking for answers.
They wanted to know why and how this happened and
how they could deal with their own complex grief. And
they have two other sons, Brian and Justin, and trying
(02:56):
to get themselves, the whole family the friends. As suicide
can reach, typically one hundred and thirty five people for
every suicide are touched. Usually there's many, many more. And
so the Ursos decided that after finding our sister organizations
that we have here in Southeast Michigan, that they wanted
(03:17):
to start an organization where people could come for learning
about prevention of suicide and awareness of it and educating
themselves both preventive and postvention way. And so they started
Kevin's Song with a very supportive group of friends who
(03:38):
became the then board of directors and many of whom
are still with us years later.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
And why Kevin's song? Why that name?
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Kevin loved music, and I've asked the question several times
and gotten different answers. They wanted to be able to
really exemplify moving things forward, keeping it upbeat his love
of music, and John one day looked at at Galen
said Kevin's song, and the answer was yes, absolutely, that's perfect.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
So in the beginning you had talked about specifically on
males in that age cell you said he was forty one.
Kevin was forty one. And I've read statistics that suicide
rates have continued to rise in recent years. In your view,
what are some of the most critical factors driving the
increase in suicide rates?
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Well, the rise in suicide rate is it's really a
complex issue influenced by There are so many factors. It's
really a multifaceted problem. But some of the most critical
ones are just mental health issues. Conditions like depression, anxiety,
bipolar disorder. These are really significant factors and many people
struggling with these conditions they just might not receive adequate
(04:55):
treatment their substance abuse. The ongoing opioid epidemic and the
misuse of alcohol and other substances can really exacerbate feelings
of hopelessness and despair, and that unfortunately increases the risk
of suicide. There's social isolation coming out of the pandemic.
Of course, many people are still working from home. Many
(05:16):
people the lack of social support can really lead to
increased feelings of isolation and depression. Economic stresses, especially this
time of year you're wanting to possibly meet holiday goals
that you've set for yourself. Increases in heating costs for
your home, groceries, things like that. Access to means, I mean,
(05:37):
in the state of Michigan, there's a lot of rural
areas as well as in the urban areas. There's lethal means,
firearms and medications that can increase the likelihood we'll see.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
I want to say that this is a youth.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Issue, but it really does affect adults as well. Bullying
and cyber bullying and there's been a link to increased
suicide rates there. Those who have chronic illness and pain, honestly,
they may experience a diminished quality of life and leads
to increased risk of suicide, and the biggest one that
Kevin Sung really works towards is the stigma around mental health.
(06:13):
The lack of awareness and mental health issues prevents individuals
from seeking help, and this can lead to untreated mental
health conditions, which for since over time, and addressing these
factors requires, like I had said, a multifaceted approach, including
improving mental health care access, reducing that stigma, providing economic support,
and then creating supportive communities.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
So yeah, I mean, the reducing of the stigma I
think has been something that over the course of my
years have really appreciated that people aren't as afraid to
talk about so many different things these days, and in
particular try to figure out how to help people with
depression or things that might contribute to their feelings towards suicide.
(06:55):
It's just so nice to know that we're much more
open than I mean, I think about my parents generation,
and there's no way people would have talked about stuff
like that. They never It would have been like shuffled
under the rug and nobody would really talk about it
if it happened. And now, like you know, we got
to help each other get through things like that, So
that just seems like such a crucial part today. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Absolutely, stigma. It still is very much out there to
even say the word suicide. When when people ask what
I do and I answer that, I often get a
very large, raised eyebrow, bug eyed look from people of
oh okay is usually the answer is like, it's okay
to talk about. It's something we have to talk. It
(07:36):
affects everybody. It doesn't have a socioeconomic barrier to it.
It doesn't care who you are, where you are, where
you come from. And I think when you're looking at
a society like ERSA has so many generations, like you
were saying, with your parents' generation, it's become learned that
there are certain things we don't talk about. And it's
(07:59):
really exciting to see more and more people being willing
to talk about, understanding that it's okay to say, you know,
not okay, I need help, and being able to ask.
But there still is a stigma attached in many parts
in subcultures of our communities that you just don't cross
that line. You don't you don't ask for the help.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Right well, and in particular, suicide rates are just you know,
disproportionately high among vulnerable groups like lgbt Q plus youth,
African Americans and veterans. You know, we've definitely heard that
there are areas, you know, different populations that are even
more susceptible. How does Kevin Song and the things that
(08:43):
you're you have coming up address those specific challenges for
each group?
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Okay, well you have to. What we tend to do
is we look at each each group of the population
as their own individuals and realize that our communities are
diverse and they need equitable help and treatment and things
like that, and so we offer education. Our main education
(09:09):
is our annual Conference on Suicide. This will be our
ninth annual suicide conference. It is the largest conference in
suicide in the state of Michigan, and it's held annually
in January in Plymouth at the Saint John's Resort. And
I will talk more about that as.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Well the future.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
But we also know just resource sharing, making sure that
resources are available to either those who are having suicidal
ideations or the friends, families, colleagues, loved ones of those
or people who who are now dealing with suicide laws.
They are the survivors. Community education and engagement, just getting
(09:50):
out and talking about it and sharing the awareness and
saying it's okay to talk about it, but then also
collaborating with specific organizations, whether be the LGBTQ plus the
African American veterans, getting to those populations and connecting them
with the resources that are already there. We have so
(10:11):
many people on the ground working toward this in in
Southeast Michigan, Michigan Great Lakes, the United States. We're all
working toward this to make sure that anyone who needs
the resources has them available, and you just have to ask.
And if I don't have a resource available, believe me,
(10:32):
I will find the resource for you and connect you.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Yeah, listen, folks, I just met Jennifer and I'm telling
you she will find the resource to help you. So
if you if you need help, or you know somebody
who needs help and you're just not sure what to do,
you know, Kevin's Song is definitely an organization that's that's
here to support you and help you find those resources
they don't have them. Hey, let's dell in a little
bit in detail. You know, we've talked about the LGBTQU
(10:58):
population and African Americans and veteran and so that those
specific organizations have unique things to them that you know
that might lend them to be more susceptible to a
higher suicide rate. Can you discuss any programs or initiatives
within Kevin's song that specifically focus on the mental health
needs of Let's start with the LGBTQ community specifically.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
I recently he had one of the FLAG chapters in
our area reach out. They wanted to talk about suicide
in the LGBTQ that this is this is a population
that is at higher risk for suicide. There's there's a
lot of bullying, a lot of stigma around and misunderstanding
(11:43):
about that community. I'm a proud ally and I get
really really heightened when I hear negative things. So we
work with like p FLAG to provide speakers at their
meetings and just making sure that the resources are available
both on our website and if someone were to send
(12:05):
an email or they call me. A lot of times
I'm immediately googling to see, Okay, where are you located,
what do you have immediately in your background? If I
don't have that available, who can I get for you
that will help you.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
Let's move on to the African American community. They have
unique cultural and historical challenges. What are some of the
barriers they face in accessing mental health care and how
can those be addressed as well?
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Oh my goodness, So the African American communities have a
lot of barriers that we are trying to break down.
Of course, stigma. Of course, there there's socioeconomic disparities. There's
higher rates of poverty and lack of health insurance make
it really difficult to afford any kind of health care,
(12:52):
let alone mental health care. A lot of cultural mistrust
historically and ongoing experience of racism and discrimination contribute to
distrust of the healthcare system as a whole, and that
can really detern individual from seeking care. If you think
that you're going to go into this and one you're
not going to be taken seriously, They're not going to
talk to you, they won't listen to you, and then
(13:14):
they just look at you. Huh that why would you
want to reach out? Lack of representation, there's a shortage
of mental health professional who are culturally competent and who
understand the specific needs of African American patients. We need
to get really people, absolutely really important. If you if
(13:36):
you want to trust someone, you have to be able
to look at them and absolutely get that they understand
where you're coming from, what you're facing differently in our community,
that people in a suburb adjacent to you might be
dealing with people that you work with. They want to
(13:56):
know that you get who they are, and you need
you need to have those representations out there in the
community and see them. There's been institutional discrimination African Americans
receiving lower quality of care. I mean, this is talked
about often and it's it's unfortunately a truth that we
(14:17):
need to face up and own and change. But their
solutions with their barriers and so community education, increasing awareness
about mental health and reducing that stigma, and culturally competent care,
you know, training people who are African American to help
(14:37):
those There are so many really great providers out there
who know what they're doing, have been there, have done that,
and want to help their community. Policy changes, you got
to advocate for policies and address the socioeconomic disparities such
as you've we've got to expand the health care insurance
coverage and increase funding for mental health services to unders
(15:00):
served communities and that can improve access, community support networks,
and then research and advocacy just realizing that everyone deserves
to be heard and have mental health across the board.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
And amen to that. The veterans face very distinct mental challenges,
including PTSD. What role does Kevin's Song play and supporting
veterans struggling with mental health issues and suicide risk.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
We try to play a significant role in supporting veterans
who are struggling with mental health and suicide risk through
a comprehensive approach to suicide awareness and mental health awareness,
and in our annual conference on Suicide. Kevin Song hosts
an annual conference of course that had mentioned, and we
(15:48):
have specific breakout sessions that deal with veterans and things
like PTSD and what the current research that's being done,
the therapies that are working best with them, what groups
are available to them. Everyone of immediately says, we'll have
(16:08):
the VA help them. That isn't always the answer for
every veteran. So there are many other grassroots organizations out
there that we work with and are aware of who
are doing great things and have the expertise because so
many of them are veterans themselves. And again, just knowing
(16:30):
what that community and population knows and has been through
and the familial sense of our military of trusting each
other more than others, which you know, when you're on
a battlefield they've got your back, and just knowing that
when you're back in the civilian world, they still have
(16:51):
your back and they want to be there for you
and have great organizations to help with issues.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
So you've brought up the the conference in January in
Plymouth at Saint John's. Let's get to the nitty gritty's
of it. Nitty gritty of it, because you mentioned that
their breakout you know, breakout sessions for veterans. But what
else is going on at the conference? Give us an
overview of what distinguishes it, you know, from other mental
health suicide prevention events. What can somebody expect to see there?
(17:23):
Who attends, give us all the good details. Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
So this year our conference teams creating and supporting Lives
Worth Living, and we have a three day conference. We
actually have a fourth day. This will be the second year.
The Wednesday before, which will be January twenty second, is
our pre training day and we're going to be offering
trainings for both late persons as well as clinical things
(17:51):
like the QPR, which is questioned persuade and refer that's
kind of like how CPR is in cardiac health, and
we want everyone in our community to know about CPR.
We want anyone Colleen, you might be talking to one
of your kids or maybe someone that you socialize with,
(18:13):
and just from what they're telling you, if you'd had
the KEPR training, you would be able to know what
questions to ask. And the first question is truly asking
are you thinking about suicide?
Speaker 2 (18:27):
I'm just kidding right to it. Wow, yep.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
So often people are like, oh, we don't say that
because that might put an idea in somebody's head. No,
it is not going to put an idea in someone's head.
And being asked that a lot of times is so
freeing to be able to admit you know, yeah I am.
I need to talk about this, and then referring them
to the correct people and staying with them to get
(18:53):
the help that they need, passing them off to people
that knows what know how to deal with it. We
have safe Talk, which a little bit longer, it's a
four hour training, continuing that, additional questions to ask and
moving through than our professional trainings answer and things like an.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Assist what does QPR Standford again I got the question.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
I'm as question, persuade, persuade, refer sorry about that, Oh
got it? And there is actually a youth one too,
because I mean, if you think about it, I know
my sixteen year old when I say to him different things,
he's like, yeah, you were noverber sixteen. So when I
could say the exact same thing to a teenager, where
(19:36):
if one of their peers said the exact same words,
it will be taken differently totally and they'll listen to it.
And I get that. I in the same way, I'd
rather hear something from a peer than somebody who I
perceive as thinking they know more than I do. My goodness,
we don't like that kind of thing. So again, it's
(19:57):
it's youth talking to other youth and helping them and
helping not answer them, not keep them from you know,
they don't have to do anything clinical. They just have
to do the right thing to get them to the clinical.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Yeah, knowing what questions to ask is half the battle,
as it really is. And I really I'm just that's
a game changer, just asking. I mean, I honestly I
would be so afraid. But now that you've said no,
you just ask It's like, okay, I can do that,
you know, because that could be right there. Everything changes
from that one question on.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
Yep, and you know, take taking the stigma off it
and just being able to say, hey, you know, my
goodness in your situation with what you're going through and
some people may think about dying by suicide or are
you thinking about suicide and just having them hear other
people also you know, I'm not alone. That message of
(20:48):
you are not alone is so important as well.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
All right, so you have some keynote speakers who are
going to play a role in the event this year.
They are kind of setting the tone for the conference
twich again just to remind people, it's January twenty fifth
through twenty seventh, with a pre event date on the
twenty second for training, but the conference itself is the
(21:11):
twenty fifth through the twenty seventh. Talk a little bit
about your keynote speakers. I was going to say, the
focus is creating us and supporting lives worth living. How
are they setting the tone for the conference? What unique
perspectives will they bring? Give us an idea of what
people are going to see when they see the keynote speakers.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Okay, So my goodness. So Thursday is our school Summit
and Youth Day. This is totally focused at those working
in education, in counseling, school counselors, parents, if you deal
with kids, this is the day for you. And we
were bringing in people who are currently doing research for kids.
(21:51):
Sharise Nixon is a doctor at Penn State who is
coming in to talk about her current research dealing with
youth and suicide and the programs that she is currently
working with. We have breakout sessions that why young women
are so why sadness is hitting younger women so much
(22:14):
more than it has in the past, Peer to peer
groups that are happening in schools. We have some professional
workers from three different school systems coming in to talk
about the peer to peer groups they currently have on
the grounds in their school districts that are working and
why they're working. And it's really incredible. So we have
(22:36):
breakout sessions for everything from teachers to better understand, to
the social workers in the schools, to the administrators, to
the clinicians who are dealing with youth. On Friday is
our clinical day. Okay, and this is probably I don't
want to use the word intense because I don't want
to scare anybody off, but if you're looking for what
(23:00):
is the most cutting edge research being done in this
country right now? We're bringing in Bart Andrews, who is
a national leader. Thomas Joyner will be joining us for
our ninth conference. Thomas wrote the seminal work in the
suicide field of why people die by suicide. He's at
Florida State. He is incredible and we're looking forward to
(23:23):
having him back at The breakout sessions that day are vast.
They are all over the place because we're trying to
hit every facet. So one of the breakouts is for
construction workers how to deal with construction workers. We know
that construction workers, for whatever reason, the suicide rates are
incredibly high. They're skyrocketing in this area. So let's bring
(23:45):
in those people who are doing research and have programming
set up. That session alone would be great for anyone
working in HR, owning a construction, you work in construction,
you're a contract. That takeaway alone would be so beneficial
for thousands of people, especially in our area. Then other
(24:07):
sessions where what are the current therapies that are working
and why are we using them? And why are these
therapies helping us create lives worth living. I don't want
to give too much away, but it kind of all
helps to make a life creating a life worth living.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Yeah, I think you have to give as much as
you can away. We want people to know. Yeah, it
was interesting though the way you said about the third day.
You know, it's intense, you know, want to scare people away,
and hopefully, hopefully that's not what's happening right now. Hopefully
it's encouraging people to participate. But who who should attend
the conference?
Speaker 3 (24:43):
So it's always funny when when people ask that, because
because the list of who should attend our conference, we
sum it up on our website and all of our
flyers for it. We literally list who's invited, and it's psychologists,
social workers, licensed counselors, physicians, nurses, medical professionals, educators, teachers,
school administrators, crisis center workers, first responders, law enforcement, firefighters, policymakers,
(25:10):
law survivors, people with lived experience, employers, that human resource
like I had mentioned, veterans and veterans, support groups, parents
and family members, members of the general public, and then
students who are becoming therapists, social workers, things like that.
We work really closely with Wayne State, Michigan State University
(25:33):
of Michigan. Making sure that the students have access to
a conference like this where there are these top level
researchers who most of them have probably read their works
and are using them in their classes. Let them have
access to these people, ask questions and become equipped to
go out and continue this work.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
That's great for people who can't attend the conference though.
What are some things that resources and strategies for learning
more about suicide prevention and mental health that you guys provide.
Speaker 3 (26:05):
Well on our website which is www dot kevins with
an US song two US is there, So there's two
US is right in the center, Kevinssong dot org. We
do have at the top a resource tab that lists
resources that are both local, state, and national. Other great
(26:26):
places of the American Association of Suicideology the AAS dot org.
There's the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention AFSP dot org.
We have a lot of sister organizations. Like I said,
their websites are on our website. Great place to just
land go to the resources and be able to get
(26:47):
that information that you need right there.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
That's great. How can people register for the conference.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
Again also right on the website of free. It is
not free, it's actually a very low cost. So that
was one of Gale and John Urso's major goals was
so often these professional level conferences can be over one
thousand dollars right now, we have early bird registration. Depending
on how many days that you'd like to attend, it
(27:14):
can be anywhere from fifty dollars to around four hundred dollars.
It does include breakfast and lunch each day as well
as all of the keynote and break in the breakout sessions.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
That's great, okay. Again, the email address where you can.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Get the info is www dot Kevin's Song, two S's
indecenter dot org, or visit our Facebook or LinkedIn pages.
We have links right on there that you can click
for registration, more information, and sponsorship information as well.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
Jennifer, what's your favorite thing about what you do?
Speaker 3 (27:49):
Helping people? Being there, being able to get the right
information to people when they need it most.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
That's what it comes down to. So if you're interested
in helping Kevin's Song you heard it at Kevinsong dot org,
or if you if you need some help, you know
this is this is your validation that you can ask
for help and they are there to provide the resources
you need to to help you, and don't be afraid
(28:20):
to make that call. And if you're listening and you're like, wow,
this is a heavy topic for today, I can tell
you that if anything, Jennifer is definitely a light for
you in the darkness. And so the heavy, heavy topic
we're talking about that you may feel that way today
that there is a light at the end of the
(28:41):
tunnel and Kevin's song is that for you for you know,
the crisis helplines though, be aware of the crisis helplines
like nine eight to eight Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The
nine eight eight Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, you dial nine
to eight eight, it's that simple. Or the crisis text
line text hell to seven four to one, seven four
(29:03):
to one. I'm going to repeat those again. They're super important.
The nine eight eight Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. It's as
simple as dialing nine to eight eight on your phone,
or the crisis text line. If you're like, I don't
know if I can even make that call yet, text hello,
it's that simple to seven four to one, seven four
to one. You know, I encourage you to contact resources
(29:24):
like these immediately immediately if you need help. Our guest
today just to remind you of this wonderful person who's
trying to help us all as we navigate our way
through life, has been to Jennifer fair Margraf, the executive
director of Kevin's Song. Thank you so much for joining
us today, Jennifer, we really appreciate what you're doing.
Speaker 3 (29:45):
Thanks, Coleen, I appreciate your help spreading the word.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
This has been light Up the D a community affairs
program from iHeartMedia Detroit. If your organization would like to
get on the program, email Colleen Grant at iHeartMedia. Here
are all episodes on this station's podcast page.
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