September 9, 2025 • 34 mins
The semicolon tattoo on Alnicia Gibson's wrist tells a powerful story - it represents choosing to continue when she could have ended her life. As chair of Montgomery County's Out of the Darkness Community Walk, Gibson transforms her lived experience into action, rallying the community against a crisis that ranks as the third leading cause of death among young people aged 15-24 in Maryland.
This eye-opening conversation reveals the devastating prevalence of suicide in our communities while highlighting Montgomery County's comprehensive response system. Manuel Calero, a therapist with 25 years of experience at the Montgomery County Crisis Center, explains their revolutionary approach to mental health emergencies - a free, 24/7 service that functions like "an ER for people having emotional issues."
The episode concludes with Rosalyn Houston from the Montgomery County Volunteer Center highlighting their upcoming "Fall into Service" event, offering a reminder that community connection serves as a powerful antidote to isolation and mental health struggles. Whether you're personally affected by suicide or simply want to support those who are, this episode provides concrete resources, upcoming events, and hope-filled perspectives for anyone navigating these difficult waters.
Join the Montgomery County Out of the Darkness Community Walk on September 21st at the Adventist Healthcare Soccerplex in Boyds, MD. Registration begins at 9am, with the walk starting at 10am. Your presence matters in bringing this critical issue out of the shadows and into the light.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What Good day and welcome to what's Happening MoCo
, an authentic unscriptedpodcast from your Montgomery
County government.
Now here's your host, derrickKenney.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Good day.
Welcome to what's HappeningMoCo.
Today we have a serious subjectdeath by suicide, something
that happens far too often inour society, our world and here
in Montgomery County.
Today to talk about suicide orthe prevention of suicide and
awareness thereof, is AlniciaGibson, and she's here to talk
about her Montgomery County walkthat's hoping to gain some
(00:42):
traction around people beingconcerned, aware and active in
preventing death by suicide.
Alnisha, how are you today?
Speaker 3 (00:50):
I'm good.
How about yourself?
Speaker 2 (00:52):
I'm pretty good.
I'm pretty good.
It was a wonderful summer.
I guess we're still technicallyin summer, exactly Supposed to
be Okay.
How was your summer?
Speaker 3 (01:00):
It was hot.
Yeah, it was very hot.
I don't like the heat.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
How about today?
Today was a nice day.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
It's okay, it's okay, all right, okay.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Well, I like the days like today, where it's nice and
cool.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
Yeah, sure.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
I can wear a long sleeve jacket type shirt and.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
I'm not sweating too much, but give me a couple of
minutes, I can make it happen,it's okay, now.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
OK, now, speaking of which you have this walk.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
This walk coming up and what's the name of the walk
and how long have you been doingthis walk?
Speaker 3 (01:29):
OK, the name of the walk is the Montgomery County
Out of the Darkness CommunityWalk and it's sponsored by the
American Foundation for SuicidePrevention.
And actually I walked here thisyear year before I was the
co-chair and, like six years ago, I was a walk chair as well, so
I've been doing it for quite along time, but it's my passion,
(01:52):
so I'm excited to do it.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
And why is it your passion?
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Because actually I attempted suicide as well.
So I'm very transparent aboutit, you know.
That's why I connect with them.
Can the camera see?
I want to show my littlesemicolon.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Oh yeah, Please show your semicolon.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
If you see this this is if you've attempted.
You try to put a period in yourlife, but you have a comma
because you're supposed tocontinue with your life.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
So you're not only supporting this march, you are
someone that was directlyaffected exactly um death by
suicide.
But instead of having a period,you have a comma yes, and so,
with your life going on, you're,you're adding to other people's
lives exactly, and helping toprolong other people's lives
that's your good work is chairand co-chair and all the other
things you're doing.
So where, where is your marchtaking place and when is it
(02:41):
taking place?
Speaker 3 (02:42):
okay, it's taking's taking place on Sunday,
September 21st.
It starts at nine.
That's registration.
Registration starts at nine and10 o'clock.
The walk starts and it's at theAdventist Healthcare Soccer
Complex.
It's so long in Boyd's Maryland.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Boyd's, Maryland.
Yeah, so we're very excited.
I just want to say that onemore time.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Adventist Healthcare Soccerplex in Boyd's Maryland.
All time At Venice HealthcareSoccerplex in.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Boyds, maryland.
All right, and that's September21st, 9 o'clock am for
registration, 10 o'clock 10o'clock walking.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Okay, 10 o'clock to start walking.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Is there any cost or anything of that nature.
It's free, just show up.
I will say I love it when it'sfree.
So round of applause here.
When you can come show up, showyour support and you and your
family or anyone that's beenaffected or concerned about
death by suicide, I encourageyou to show up and show your
support.
What are some of the statssurrounding death by suicide
that we should be aware of?
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Well, Maryland is the 15th leading cause of death by
suicide.
Whoa Third leading cause is 15to 24.
Third leading cause is from 25to 34.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Whoa, I'm sorry.
The third leading cause amongstyoung people 15 to 24 so
overall 15th cause of death inthe county, but among people 15
to 24 and 34 is the third whoa,that's.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
That's significant very true and um, it's 25 to 34
for the third leading and it's35 to 44 for the fifth leading
oh wow, why do you?
Speaker 2 (04:11):
why do you think that is there?
Are there any things thatpeople um tend to in those age
ranges?
Why?
Why is there?
Why the rate's higher than theoverall rate?
Speaker 3 (04:24):
well, I think for 15 to 22, you of, of course, have a
lot of bullying and during thatage they're like transitioning
from, you know, teenager tobeing a young adult.
So I think that's a lot ofpressure on them as well and
they might not lead up to, youknow, certain people's
expectations.
So I think in that age rangethat's why it's the third
leading cause All right, wow.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
So people out there, they want to gain more
information about your march,they want to contact you for
more information about how tocontribute or whatever.
Is there a website or a phonenumber they can call?
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Yes, I'm not giving my personal number.
I love y'all.
Okay, but hold on.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
If you want to unleash this personal number,
dial 202.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
No it's AFSPorg Montgomery CO.
Okay, afsporg slash MontgomeryCO.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Okay, and this happens once a year.
Correct Different locationsthough Different locations.
Okay, and are there otherthings throughout the year that
you support or that people mightwant to gravitate towards when
it comes to education or supportfor, or awareness of, death by
suicide Right?
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Excuse me, the American Foundation of Suicide
Prevention have so manyinitiatives in place as far as
research and helping peoplethat's lost someone or to
prevent suicide.
They have a lot of programs out.
They advocate for public policy, but the main thing is for the
out of the darkness walks isthey pour the money into the
(05:54):
community, so they offer freeeducational classes, free
assistance.
So it's a good you know andbringing the darkness.
That's the call to light.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Bringing the darkness to light.
That's all right, and that'swhat's happening in MoCo.
Alnecia Gibson, thank you somuch for being here, and for
leading the charge or leadingthe march against death by
suicide here in MontgomeryCounty, maryland.
Up next, we'll be talking aboutcounty resources and awareness
of death by suicide.
Hang on what?
(06:25):
All right, and we are back withManuel Calero.
That's Calero.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Calero, calero, okay cool.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
I made it a little bit more expressive than it
needed to be.
He's a therapist with HHS andhis specialty is death by
suicide.
Manuel, thank you for joiningthe podcast today and for
helping us further theconversation about death by
suicide awareness and offeringresources.
What can you tell us about yourjob as a therapist for the
(06:54):
county?
Speaker 4 (06:55):
Well, I'm a therapist at the Montgomery County Crisis
Center.
I've been there about 25 yearsnow.
It's basically a think of itlike a walk in ER for people
that are having either emotionalor mental health issues.
So it's free of cost.
You walk in there, you can talkto a licensed clinician no
charge.
You can walk in, you can callon the phone.
We have mobile crisis responseas well, too, where we go out to
(07:18):
the community and provide thesame type of service that you
would have in the office.
We have it like at your houseor in the community as well too.
A lot of times we work in tandemwith the police department as
well too.
We have another aspect of ourjob where, unfortunately, if
there is a tragedy in thecommunity or a completed suicide
, obviously law enforcement is atypical first responder.
(07:39):
So our role is to go out andprovide support and comfort as
much as we can to the familyduring that immediate loss that
they're having at that time.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
It's great that there's a lot of thought put
into how to respond to thesetragic situations.
Speaker 4 (07:55):
Yeah, definitely, yeah, I know, like I said, I've
been there for a long time Imean I think I could be wrong,
but I would say it's probablybeen around for about 40,
probably 40 plus years 40 plusyears.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
40 plus years yeah, definitely.
Yeah, you mentioned the crisiscenter earlier.
How do people find the crisiscenter and is there a website?
Speaker 4 (08:12):
So I'll give you the direct address on the phone
number.
It's 1301 Picard Drive.
It's in Rockville, 20850.
And the phone number is240-777-4000.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Real simple.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
Once again 240-777-4000.
Real simple.
Once again 240-777-4000, open24 hours a day.
We do have the ability to uselanguage line.
I myself speak spanish, so I'mbilingual.
We have other um other staffthat speak other languages as
well too, so it really is um youknow, not going to discriminate
.
I mean, whatever language youspeak, we can probably
accommodate you in some way so,just to be clear, someone's
having a tough time.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
They remember that they saw on the what's Happening
with MoCo podcast that thecrisis center is open 24-7.
They can drive in their car,hop on a bus, get an Uber left
and come to the crisis center.
The door will be open orthey'll ring a bell.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
They'll ring a doorbell and then we'll let them
in.
And then the first thing we'llask them how we can help them we
in.
And then the first thing we'llask them why how we can would
help them.
Um, we'll have them fill outsome real quick demographic
information.
If, if they don't obviously ofcourse, if they don't want to,
they don't need to we can justtake them directly to the back,
depending on the severity of thecrisis, and we'll address the
issue at hand immediately sothey'll have a licensed
clinician that they're going tomeet with on the spot.
(09:26):
I know a lot of times peoplehave either private insurance or
you know it takes a long timeto get on a waiting list to
actually see somebody.
So we're more doing like safetyassessments, so more in the
crisis mode.
So obviously we don't doanything ongoing long term.
It's very short term, but at 2am, if you're feeling
overwhelmed, stressed out, um,yeah, and you remember this
podcast, definitely come down,give us a call.
(09:47):
Um, you know we can try to helpyou facilitate getting getting
transportation as well too.
So we go above and beyondwhatever it is that we that we
can do for the community, whatwe'll do it and what's the phone
?
Speaker 2 (09:57):
number 240-777-4000 is there another crisis, a
number to call as well?
Is there a number?
There's a montgomery countythere's a hotline as well too.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
So it's not, it's my, it's banned, it's um manned by
a nonprofit organization, EveryMind.
That's a different number.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
And we'll.
We'll add that in here later.
Right there, All right,excellent Power of video.
So if you guys are listening tothe podcast and you want that
number, check out the videovideo version.
So it's great that you guys areproviding the service at the
center.
What else are you doing to helpraise awareness for people that
are concerned about death bysuicide?
Speaker 4 (10:37):
Well, again, it's a 20-hour center so anybody can
come anytime.
We work in tandem with MCPS, soMontgomery County Public Schools
, so a lot of times there's aprotocol in Montgomery County
Public Schools where, say, astudent might mention that they
want to harm themselves.
So the protocol at the schoolwould be you know the school,
the administrators notify theparents, bring the parents into
(10:57):
the school, um counseloraddresses the issue at school
and then refers them to ourcenter.
So we do see a lot of school,what we would call school
referral.
So a lot of times it's I thinkthere's more awareness nowadays
going on in the times that welive in, with so many people
having attempted or actuallycommitted suicide, um, so I
think that's a great servicethat mcps provides for
(11:17):
individuals as well too, and theparents as well too, because a
lot of times you know studentsas, as our previous guest said
earlier, you know that that agerange among teens and young
adults is a high prevalencereally people attempting or you
know, thinking about it, youknow having the ideations and
thoughts and then kind ofgetting it extended to actually
doing something about it.
So yeah, I think it's a goodservice that's provided and then
(11:38):
we see them and we address theissue at hand.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
And you mentioned self-harm as maybe an indicator
of concern.
Could you talk a little bitabout what is self-harm, but
then also talk about what aresome of the other red flags that
might raise an alarm amongstpeople that are either those
individuals themselves or peoplethat love those people?
Speaker 4 (11:59):
Yeah.
So I would say, withself-harming, that'd be probably
another podcast.
But I would say, first andforemost, a lot of people that
say, think about self-hharm.
We're actually engaging inself-harm, sometimes with people
that are actually not wantingto actually kill themselves per
se right.
A lot of times people might usethat as a coping mechanism
(12:19):
right.
And then our job, maybe atherapist, would be to kind of
find other coping skills thatthey can use instead of, say,
self-harming or cutting or youknow, we see different levels of
self-harm as well too.
So not everybody that engages inself-harm.
We're not going to identifythem as they wanted to commit
suicide or harm themselves.
Again, you have a lot of and wesee it a lot with teens right,
a lot of teens will come in withscratches or cut marks.
(12:42):
So I think just identifying itis a good thing as well too.
And then if we can try tointervene with other coping
skills so a lot of times theymight be using it as a coping
skill um, you know, if we cansubstitute that with something
else, maybe talking to thecounselor or talking to the
parents, or maybe evenidentifying that now the parents
have identified that their kidhas an issue or is doing, is
(13:03):
it's engaging a self-harm, thatmight be it right, that might be
all the person needs that feelsupported now by the parent.
It's a lot of times that timesthe eye opener for a lot of
parents that come in and they'renoticing that their daughter or
son hasn't been engaging inthis for quite some time, and
they weren't even aware of ituntil the school brought it to
their attention.
A lot of times it helps, likeit's an eye opener for a lot of
parents as well too.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
And what are some of the other indicators?
Speaker 4 (13:32):
I'd say, you know, I guess different age ranges, as
far as you know, maybe teens,adults, have different ways of
it manifesting itself, but wesee a lot of just people feeling
hopeless, right, just peoplefeeling emotionally, mentally,
physically drained, um, you know, a lot of times just feeling
like at the end of your rope.
Um, you know, a lot of times,if you're involved in that and
you have these prolongedthoughts for a long period of
time, sometimes that just justconsumes you and the more in
(13:52):
your you're in those thoughtsand those feelings, obviously
sometimes it might lead to youhaving or experience some types
of you know, having somesuicidal ideations.
You know we also look at socialwithdrawal.
Right, if you were kind ofisolating yourself or you were
someone who was very cheerfuland going out a lot with your
friends and family and now allof a sudden there's a change in
(14:13):
your behavior, you might findyourself more isolating or not
enjoying the things that youused to right, you could start
developing like a depressiveepisode and obviously being with
those negative thoughts at aprolonged period of time you
know might lead you to developthese suicidal thoughts.
So again, I would say everyoneis different.
The beauty of this job is thatyou get to meet so many
different people.
You know what works for someperson might not work for others
(14:34):
.
What might be a red flag forone individual it's probably not
a red flag for the other one.
But you know, in my experienceas a clinician kind of you know
the helplessness, the worthfeeling, worthlessness,
helplessness.
You know that the socialwithdrawal and just a change in
behavior sometimes we see as redflags.
But obviously you know there'sdifferent red flags for
different people as well toowhat have you, have you
(14:55):
encountered or what do you saywhen you encounter?
Speaker 2 (14:58):
um people who are reluctant to seek help because
they're not sure, because itcould be embarrassing for the
family of?
Course the individual maycreate conflict between family
members.
What do you say to people thatare, I believe, my loved one is
looking to harm themselves or totake their lives away?
(15:22):
What do you say to that personto encourage them to either step
forward or how to moderatetheir approach, or what's this
sure you know?
What do you do?
What do you say?
Speaker 4 (15:32):
Yeah, so.
So I mean, obviously there'sthere's stigma, right.
I think there's a lot of stigmawith mental health and me,
being Hispanic, I know in ourculture, and I know in other
minority cultures as well too,the fact of mental health in
general is seen as taboo, right,or see if there's a big stigma
attached to it.
So I think a lot of awarenessand education, either for the
family that might have somebodywho's contemplating it or
actually engaging in it orthinking about it, letting them
(15:54):
know that it's not that you'recrazy I know we use that as a
loose term, but it's not theappropriate term obviously these
people depression or suicidethoughts it's something that
hopefully can be treated,hopefully can be addressed.
Unfortunately, there areindividuals that do end up
taking their lives at some point, and we deal with that on an
ongoing basis at our job as welltoo, um, but you know, stigma
(16:17):
is one thing um, I think we liketo tell people to talk about it
right and I know I'm not naiveand wanting to believe that if
you just talk about it, um, youknow it's going to cure all um
and it'snot, and I know it's not but
just sometimes letting otherpeople know what you're going
through is maybe all thatsupport that you really need at
that moment, at that time.
You know, a lot of times Ithink people are fearful to
(16:40):
approach somebody and ask thatquestion.
I think there's a myth sayingyou know, if I, if I ask
somebody, are they trying toharm themselves?
I might put that thought intotheir head and I would say no,
if you, if you really care aboutthe person, if you're that
concerned, go ahead and approachthe individual.
Don't be, don't be in fears,don't be ashamed, don't be
fearful.
If the person is thinking thosethoughts, the thoughts are
(17:01):
already there Like nothing thatyou're going to do is going to
make things worse, probably,right.
You're only going to address itand hopefully maybe that person
is going to feel like, okay, nowthis person really understands
what I'm trying to go through.
I think a lot of times we justtry to validate feelings as well
too.
I know we get a lot of callsfrom people all the time saying
I'm thinking about harmingmyself, or they kind of go into
their story and I think a lot oftimes people just want to be
heard right and not to havesomebody fix them, say, or go to
(17:25):
a therapist, and people assumethat the therapist is going to
fix their problems and of courseI can't fix anybody's problems
right.
I can only fix my own right buta lot of times people I think
that's, that's, that's like, uh,I guess an obstacle for a lot
of people.
But I think as a therapist,sometimes you're just there and
you can validate.
If the person wants to feeldepressed, okay, I'll let them
feel depressed.
If they feel angry, okay, youvalidate their feelings and a
(17:47):
lot of times it's just thathaving the that's Okay and then
you can deal with whateverdeeper issues are going on with
the individual.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
Wonderful, Wonderful.
Now HHS is one of the county'slargest departments.
Are you within the behavioralhealth department?
Speaker 4 (18:00):
Yeah, behavioral health and crisis.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
Now, what are some of the other areas that people can
benefit from that may belistening to this podcast that
does not involve death bysuicide, but maybe other issues
or dynamics that might benefitfrom the resources available.
Speaker 4 (18:16):
Yeah, so I know there is something called the access
team that provides mental healthplus substance abuse.
So it's kind of like a dualdiagnosis clinic.
So any individual that has, say, a substance use issue drugs or
alcohol, a concurring disorderas well too would say it's
associated with a mental healthdiagnosis as well too.
They can access servicesthrough that program as well too
(18:38):
, and I believe they havewalk-in hours as well too.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
So all these services are free, you know, as long as
you're a County resident youknow, some taking we like free,
yeah, exactly, Many times thebarrier to getting help for
families especially familiesthat are working hard to ensure
the best for their families andmaking hard decisions.
We don't want this to be cost,to be a barrier.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
Of course.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
So, it's free to get a lot of help in the county.
Speaker 4 (19:02):
Yeah, so you could get an assessment.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
And then from there.
Speaker 4 (19:05):
They would kind of see, I guess, what kind of level
of care you would warrant,right, maybe something ongoing,
maybe something more specific?
At our center we'd have apsychiatrist as well too.
I know the access team has apsychiatrist as well too.
So the services are out there.
It's just sometimes looking andknowing where to go is the
issue and I have anotherquestion.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
So when someone seeks your help or makes the phone
call, is there a level ofconfidentiality or you know so
that some privacy is there,privacy associated with it, so
that families that are concernedabout I don't want my business
in the street, yeah.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
Yeah, and so another thing that we do, I mean
families can always call in andrequest for our team to go out
and maybe evaluate their, theirloved one as well too.
So that's something that we dowith the mobile crisis team as
well too.
So, again, you can either walkin or we can go to you.
So I mean, we try to make it aseasy as possible to get the
service.
But as far as theconfidentiality, of course,
(20:04):
everything is confidential.
As far as the phone callsaren't.
They're not recorded.
So I think a lot of timespeople are fearful that the you
know lines being recorded,anything like that.
But no, I mean you come in andagain, if we'll sit there on the
phone with you as long as needbe, uh, to kind of get down to
see what it is that you reallyneed, or we'll invite you in um,
or we'll go see you.
(20:24):
That's always an option as well.
That's, that's great.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
That's great they'll come see you.
Speaker 4 (20:27):
It's like uh we'll come see you like the'll come
see you Like the Uber Eats ofmental health, mental health is
fantastic, and sometimes thatmakes a difference.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
Definitely Because sometimes, if someone is,
they're just stuck.
Speaker 4 (20:38):
And you see them in their element.
You see them in their elementat home and kind of you get a
better picture as a clinician.
You get to see what else isgoing on in their life as far as
how they live and how they'readapting.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
Yeah, definitely, yeah, definitely.
All right, excellent, excellent.
Now one more time what's theaddress of the location, the
hours, of course, the cost, andwhat's the phone number?
Speaker 4 (20:56):
So the address is going to be 1301 Picard Drive.
That's P-I-C-C-A-R-D Drive,Rockville, Maryland, 20850.
It's free service and the phonenumber is going to be
240-777-4000.
Speaker 2 (21:10):
All right, all right, so thank you so much for being
here today.
And thank you to everyone overthere in behavioral health for
HHS, a good friend of ours onthe what's Happening MoCo
podcast just recently had avigil.
Was it a vigil against to raiseawareness about overdose?
Speaker 4 (21:26):
Overdose.
I had one up here in the plaza.
Yeah, powerful event, powerfulevent.
Purple everywhere.
Yes, big Everybody up here inthe plaza.
Yeah, powerful event, powerfulevent.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
Purple everywhere.
Big G from Backyard Band wasthere to help moderate, get the
community involved.
So continue to do all the greatwork you do, you and Ben and
the whole Behavioral HealthDepartment.
Speaker 4 (21:41):
Appreciate it.
Thanks a lot, thanks for beinghere.
Of course, appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
And up next we talk to the people that get, the
people that help the people ofMontgomery County, maryland, the
Montgomery County VolunteerCenter.
They have something they wantyou to be aware of that you can
help and learn more about.
And we're back with theMontgomery County Volunteer
Center's senior fellow, rosalynHouston.
Welcome, rosalyn, how are youtoday?
Speaker 5 (22:04):
I'm good.
Thank you so much for having me, Derek.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Thank you for being here and you called you, sent me
a communication and it was soenthusiastic and it was so of
the moment.
There's something excitinggoing on with the Volunteer
Center to get volunteers rampedup and energized for what it was
maybe a new season of givingback.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
Yes, that's right.
So October is MontgomeryCounty's Community Service Month
, and so we are hosting thefirst of its kind event.
It's called Fall into Service.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
All right.
Speaker 5 (22:38):
And the event is going to take place the end of
September, specificallySeptember 28th, at the Urban
Winery in Silver Spring.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
It's going to take place Winery.
Okay, so is the winery fullyfunctional during this event?
Absolutely Okay so is thewinery fully functional during
this event?
Speaker 5 (22:53):
Absolutely yeah.
So the idea we're trying topull in potential volunteers,
say, in the age group of 21 to49-ish 49-ish.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Does that include the 50-ish?
I'm not speaking for myself,I'm saying this hypothetically.
If there's someone you know,early 50s or whatever, they
still able to volunteer.
Speaker 5 (23:13):
Well, let me say this I am in the 60-ish group and I
will be there.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
All right, fantastic yes.
Speaker 5 (23:20):
I only say that age group simply because we have
programs for the 50 plus groupand for the students.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
Understood, totally understood, all right.
And so where's the Urban Winerylocated?
Speaker 5 (23:31):
It's in Silver Spring and I would have to.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
That's okay.
Google Urban Winery or ask Sirito give you directions at Urban
Winery, and she'll be happy todo it right.
Speaker 5 (23:40):
Correct.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Also, you said what was the date?
Speaker 5 (23:42):
of that, it's September 28th and it's fall,
yes, fall, yes, so it's a playon the word because it is fall,
yes, excellent, wonderful, yep.
It's on a Sunday afternoon fromtwo to four and the idea, as I
said, to bring in this crowdthat we haven't really targeted
specifically in the past andwhat we're going to do is have
(24:02):
several animal welfareorganizations represent it.
So we're going to have somecats and dogs and possibly some
other critters when we find out.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
On site, on site at the winery that day.
So hold on, there's wine andcheap fuzzy animals.
So hold on, there's wine andcheap fuzzy animals.
Speaker 5 (24:20):
But there's more, there's more.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
What more do you need ?
You have cheap fuzzy animalsand wine.
Okay, all right, I'm sorry.
What more?
Speaker 5 (24:30):
So we want to give individuals who may not have
volunteered before or may nothave volunteered recently as
adults an opportunity to get ataste of volunteering.
So we're going to have a fewcommunity service or service
projects.
So we're going to have twoservice projects specifically to
make cat toys and then twoprojects to make dog toys.
(24:52):
And so we'll donate those to thenonprofits that are going to be
on site with us.
But we just think having theservice projects in addition to
giving nonprofits that are goingto be on site with us, but we
just think having the serviceprojects in addition to giving
those that participate anopportunity to kind of see what
it's like to volunteer, we thinkthat it'll bring in a lot of
the social benefits ofvolunteering, right?
(25:12):
So I'm sure you've heard aboutthe male loneliness epidemic and
the lonely not you specifically.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
I know you're not a part of that.
I've never heard of such athing.
Oh my gosh Guilty.
Speaker 5 (25:23):
Okay, you know but our last Surgeon General had
said there's a lonelinessepidemic and I think for people
in this age group, particularlyif they don't have kids, for
example, they may fall prey tothat, and so we think the
service projects, as well as theanimals, would be a good
opportunity for interact withother people.
(25:44):
You know, the dogs and catsobviously give you an
opportunity to interact withtheir handlers, and just the
nature of the projects, it'sjust, it lends itself, it's
almost an icebreaker in and ofitself.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
Sounds like a fun environment for people,
especially people that are alittle shy the animals will help
bring them in and you havesomething to focus on and be
able to kind of yes, kind of getyou excited about what's going
on at the event and maybe alsoexcited about volunteering yes,
yes.
Speaker 5 (26:14):
So something for the introverts, the animals, and
then the extroverts and thenpeople just like wine.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
How about that?
People just like wine comingout there.
Speaker 5 (26:23):
No, we're not encouraging the wine drink, but
we do want to patronize theestablishment, that's.
You know.
They've offered their space.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Certainly we have a big heart for Montgomery
County-based businesses.
And I'm not going to say itenough, we love Montgomery
County based businesses and I'mnot going to say it enough.
We love Montgomery County basedbusinesses and anything that
bolsters business in MontgomeryCounty, maryland, is something
that we love to support, sothat's wonderful that you guys
are doing that, but that's notthe only thing you guys do.
At the Montgomery CountyVolunteer Service Center.
(26:51):
You are active all year long.
What are some of the thingsthat you want people to know
about volunteering in the countywith your organization?
Speaker 5 (26:58):
So the mission of the Montgomery County Volunteer
Center is to promote communityservice throughout the county,
and we do that three ways byrecruiting both nonprofits as
well as individuals and groupsto volunteer.
And then by connecting them,primarily through our Montgomery
(27:19):
Serves online platform.
The website addressesmontgomeryservesorg, and their
organizations have anopportunity to post any needs
they have for volunteers, andthen individuals can go in there
and find opportunities tovolunteer based on their
specific interests, locationlots of different options to
(27:43):
find something that's a good fitfor you.
And then we support ournonprofits as well as
individuals through training.
Specifically, one of the thingsthat we've rolled out recently
is our R3 training, which isprimarily for volunteer
coordinators within ournonprofits, and so the R3 stands
(28:03):
for recruit, retain and reward,so giving them tools for
managing volunteers throughoutthe life cycle.
Additionally, we do monthlywebinars for individuals who
just want to learn how to useour platform to find the
volunteer opportunity that'sright for them.
And then we also do a monthlyorientation and partnership with
(28:27):
Montgomery County PublicSchools so that we teach
nonprofits who want to award SSLour Student Service Learning
Hours to our students what theyneed to do in order to qualify
to be SSL certified.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
That's very comprehensive.
Yes, Now what's the URL again?
Speaker 5 (28:48):
It's montgomeryservesorg.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
Okay, great.
Is there a phone number peoplecould call or email address
associated as well?
Speaker 5 (28:56):
um.
Volunteer at montgomery servesor montgomerycountymarylandgov
volunteer at montgomery, countymaryland.
Md is md.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
Yes, thank you, okay, mdgov all right, great, all
right, and then, if you'rewatching the video, we'll have
something right around here thatwill show you the exact email
address and the web address.
So, ms Houston, thank you somuch for being here today.
Is there anything else you wantpeople to know about
volunteering in the countybefore we close out?
Speaker 5 (29:26):
I would say I think this is an important time for
lots of people in terms ofgetting into the volunteer space
One reason that I can think of,of course.
Unfortunately, we've had manypeople in this area who have
lost their federal governmentjobs and while they're looking,
(29:47):
we think volunteering hasseveral benefits for them.
For one thing, it can help youdevelop new skills that you may
not have already to add to yourresume.
I'll just share this shortstory about my daughter, who
she's in North Carolina, butwhen she graduated from A&T, she
(30:08):
moved to Charlotte and shebegan Aggie pride.
Oh are you.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
No one of my friends went to.
Speaker 3 (30:15):
North.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
Carolina.
A&t A great HBCUBCU known formath, engineering and sciences.
Speaker 5 (30:19):
Yes, yes, my father was an A&T grad and so she
followed in his footsteps.
But in any case, when she movedto Charlotte she volunteered to
coach be an assistant coach ofa girls' volleyball team.
Now, she grew up in MontgomeryCounty and so she had played
volleyball middle school, highschool, club ball and she just
(30:40):
really loves it.
Well, eventually that programgot disbanded, but recently she
lost her job when all thefederal jobs and grant funding
got pulled back.
But she continues to playRecreation League volleyball and
through that job, through theplaying recreation league
(31:01):
volleyball, she now has at leasta part-time job, um as the head
coach of the same girlsvolleyball team at the school
that she had volunteered withbefore that's wonderful.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
She's a paid head coach.
Found a way to pivot and alsohelp.
People, and especially youngpeople, have a love for
volleyball but sometimes lackthe the skilled individuals to
help enhance their amateur oreducational career in volleyball
.
Speaker 5 (31:29):
And you touched on another benefit of volunteering,
which is finding your passionright.
Your work may not yourday-to-day nine to five job may
not be what you're passionateabout, but you can really
explore a number of volunteeropportunities and find something
that really sparks your passion.
That will lead to otheropportunities.
Because literally, she just hadhung around after volleyball
(31:53):
practice, hanging out next toher friend who was talking to
this man who was just gettingthis program up and going to
provide this resource toprimarily African-American girls
who didn't have many of theresources to help them become
(32:16):
good volleyball players.
So all of those reasonsdeveloping skills, finding your
passion, making connections, notbeing lonely, finding a sense
of purpose so you don't feellike you're just kind of
drifting when you don't have ajob.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
So many reasons to volunteer in the county, yes,
Other than you know just it'sthe right thing to do.
Speaker 5 (32:37):
Yes, you know it's the right thing to do yes.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
Help your fellow man.
It's rewarding self-rewarding,but it also benefits the entire
community, and by helping thecommunity you help the county,
and by helping the county youhelp individuals and residents
within the county, and theVolunteer Center does a great
job of leading that charge.
Thank you so much for beinghere, rosalind Houston.
Speaker 3 (32:59):
That that charge.
Thank you so much for beinghere Um Rosalind uh Houston
that's what's happening.
Speaker 5 (33:02):
I was going to add something else.
Oh, no, no, no, I'm sure youguys are going to edit this.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
Oh no, no, this is authentic.
They get, they get the wholething, the whole thing.
So it's okay.
No, so you?
Speaker 5 (33:11):
made.
You made me think of somethingelse in terms of helping the uh,
the County, the community.
So again related to the cutsand the funding for many of our
nonprofits right who are reallypartners with the county
government in meeting so many ofthe needs in the county.
Many of them have lost some oftheir funding resources and so
(33:32):
they need volunteers to step inand they're getting more demand
again because of programs thatmay have been cut and not have
their funding.
So they have a need for morevolunteers because they are
trying to service more peoplewith fewer resources.
So it really benefits everyone,individuals as well as
(33:53):
organization, like you said, ourcommunity as a whole.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
Okay, well, thank you so much for being here.
That's what's happening, milco,montgomery County volunteer
center, and they want you tofall into service with their
organization with with cute dogsand cats and bunny rabbits in
line.
Speaker 5 (34:10):
Hopefully we'll get the bunnies to come out.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
September 28th.
Yes, urban winery Correct.
Speaker 5 (34:16):
Two to four.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
Be there or be square .
Speaker 5 (34:19):
All right, all right, thank you.
Speaker 2 (34:21):
All right, and if you're out there and you want to
connect with the what'sHappening MoCo podcast, follow
us at what's Happening MoCo.
What's Happening MoCo.
That's it, thank you, bye.
Speaker 1 (34:33):
Thanks for listening to what's Happening, MoCo.
Please subscribe via yourfavorite podcasting platform and
follow us on Facebook.
This podcast is brought to youby County Cable Montgomery, your
source for news and informationfrom the Montgomery County
government.
Connect with us via cable,Facebook, Instagram or YouTube
(34:55):
by searching for County CableMoCo.
What Good day and welcome to what's Happening MoCo
, an authentic unscriptedpodcast from your Montgomery
County government.
Now here's your host, derrickKenney.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Good day.
Welcome to what's HappeningMoCo.
Today we have a serious subjectdeath by suicide, something
that happens far too often inour society, our world and here
in Montgomery County.
Today to talk about suicide orthe prevention of suicide and
awareness thereof, is AlniciaGibson, and she's here to talk
about her Montgomery County walkthat's hoping to gain some
(00:42):
traction around people beingconcerned, aware and active in
preventing death by suicide.
Alnisha, how are you today?
Speaker 3 (00:50):
I'm good.
How about yourself?
Speaker 2 (00:52):
I'm pretty good.
I'm pretty good.
It was a wonderful summer.
I guess we're still technicallyin summer, exactly Supposed to
be Okay.
How was your summer?
Speaker 3 (01:00):
It was hot.
Yeah, it was very hot.
I don't like the heat.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
How about today?
Today was a nice day.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
It's okay, it's okay, all right, okay.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Well, I like the days like today, where it's nice and
cool.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
Yeah, sure.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
I can wear a long sleeve jacket type shirt and.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
I'm not sweating too much, but give me a couple of
minutes, I can make it happen,it's okay, now.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
OK, now, speaking of which you have this walk.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
This walk coming up and what's the name of the walk
and how long have you been doingthis walk?
Speaker 3 (01:29):
OK, the name of the walk is the Montgomery County
Out of the Darkness CommunityWalk and it's sponsored by the
American Foundation for SuicidePrevention.
And actually I walked here thisyear year before I was the
co-chair and, like six years ago, I was a walk chair as well, so
I've been doing it for quite along time, but it's my passion,
(01:52):
so I'm excited to do it.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
And why is it your passion?
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Because actually I attempted suicide as well.
So I'm very transparent aboutit, you know.
That's why I connect with them.
Can the camera see?
I want to show my littlesemicolon.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Oh yeah, Please show your semicolon.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
If you see this this is if you've attempted.
You try to put a period in yourlife, but you have a comma
because you're supposed tocontinue with your life.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
So you're not only supporting this march, you are
someone that was directlyaffected exactly um death by
suicide.
But instead of having a period,you have a comma yes, and so,
with your life going on, you're,you're adding to other people's
lives exactly, and helping toprolong other people's lives
that's your good work is chairand co-chair and all the other
things you're doing.
So where, where is your marchtaking place and when is it
(02:41):
taking place?
Speaker 3 (02:42):
okay, it's taking's taking place on Sunday,
September 21st.
It starts at nine.
That's registration.
Registration starts at nine and10 o'clock.
The walk starts and it's at theAdventist Healthcare Soccer
Complex.
It's so long in Boyd's Maryland.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Boyd's, Maryland.
Yeah, so we're very excited.
I just want to say that onemore time.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Adventist Healthcare Soccerplex in Boyd's Maryland.
All time At Venice HealthcareSoccerplex in.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Boyds, maryland.
All right, and that's September21st, 9 o'clock am for
registration, 10 o'clock 10o'clock walking.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Okay, 10 o'clock to start walking.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Is there any cost or anything of that nature.
It's free, just show up.
I will say I love it when it'sfree.
So round of applause here.
When you can come show up, showyour support and you and your
family or anyone that's beenaffected or concerned about
death by suicide, I encourageyou to show up and show your
support.
What are some of the statssurrounding death by suicide
that we should be aware of?
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Well, Maryland is the 15th leading cause of death by
suicide.
Whoa Third leading cause is 15to 24.
Third leading cause is from 25to 34.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Whoa, I'm sorry.
The third leading cause amongstyoung people 15 to 24 so
overall 15th cause of death inthe county, but among people 15
to 24 and 34 is the third whoa,that's.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
That's significant very true and um, it's 25 to 34
for the third leading and it's35 to 44 for the fifth leading
oh wow, why do you?
Speaker 2 (04:11):
why do you think that is there?
Are there any things thatpeople um tend to in those age
ranges?
Why?
Why is there?
Why the rate's higher than theoverall rate?
Speaker 3 (04:24):
well, I think for 15 to 22, you of, of course, have a
lot of bullying and during thatage they're like transitioning
from, you know, teenager tobeing a young adult.
So I think that's a lot ofpressure on them as well and
they might not lead up to, youknow, certain people's
expectations.
So I think in that age rangethat's why it's the third
leading cause All right, wow.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
So people out there, they want to gain more
information about your march,they want to contact you for
more information about how tocontribute or whatever.
Is there a website or a phonenumber they can call?
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Yes, I'm not giving my personal number.
I love y'all.
Okay, but hold on.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
If you want to unleash this personal number,
dial 202.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
No it's AFSPorg Montgomery CO.
Okay, afsporg slash MontgomeryCO.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Okay, and this happens once a year.
Correct Different locationsthough Different locations.
Okay, and are there otherthings throughout the year that
you support or that people mightwant to gravitate towards when
it comes to education or supportfor, or awareness of, death by
suicide Right?
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Excuse me, the American Foundation of Suicide
Prevention have so manyinitiatives in place as far as
research and helping peoplethat's lost someone or to
prevent suicide.
They have a lot of programs out.
They advocate for public policy, but the main thing is for the
out of the darkness walks isthey pour the money into the
(05:54):
community, so they offer freeeducational classes, free
assistance.
So it's a good you know andbringing the darkness.
That's the call to light.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Bringing the darkness to light.
That's all right, and that'swhat's happening in MoCo.
Alnecia Gibson, thank you somuch for being here, and for
leading the charge or leadingthe march against death by
suicide here in MontgomeryCounty, maryland.
Up next, we'll be talking aboutcounty resources and awareness
of death by suicide.
Hang on what?
(06:25):
All right, and we are back withManuel Calero.
That's Calero.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Calero, calero, okay cool.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
I made it a little bit more expressive than it
needed to be.
He's a therapist with HHS andhis specialty is death by
suicide.
Manuel, thank you for joiningthe podcast today and for
helping us further theconversation about death by
suicide awareness and offeringresources.
What can you tell us about yourjob as a therapist for the
(06:54):
county?
Speaker 4 (06:55):
Well, I'm a therapist at the Montgomery County Crisis
Center.
I've been there about 25 yearsnow.
It's basically a think of itlike a walk in ER for people
that are having either emotionalor mental health issues.
So it's free of cost.
You walk in there, you can talkto a licensed clinician no
charge.
You can walk in, you can callon the phone.
We have mobile crisis responseas well, too, where we go out to
(07:18):
the community and provide thesame type of service that you
would have in the office.
We have it like at your houseor in the community as well too.
A lot of times we work in tandemwith the police department as
well too.
We have another aspect of ourjob where, unfortunately, if
there is a tragedy in thecommunity or a completed suicide
, obviously law enforcement is atypical first responder.
(07:39):
So our role is to go out andprovide support and comfort as
much as we can to the familyduring that immediate loss that
they're having at that time.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
It's great that there's a lot of thought put
into how to respond to thesetragic situations.
Speaker 4 (07:55):
Yeah, definitely, yeah, I know, like I said, I've
been there for a long time Imean I think I could be wrong,
but I would say it's probablybeen around for about 40,
probably 40 plus years 40 plusyears.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
40 plus years yeah, definitely.
Yeah, you mentioned the crisiscenter earlier.
How do people find the crisiscenter and is there a website?
Speaker 4 (08:12):
So I'll give you the direct address on the phone
number.
It's 1301 Picard Drive.
It's in Rockville, 20850.
And the phone number is240-777-4000.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Real simple.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
Once again 240-777-4000.
Real simple.
Once again 240-777-4000, open24 hours a day.
We do have the ability to uselanguage line.
I myself speak spanish, so I'mbilingual.
We have other um other staffthat speak other languages as
well too, so it really is um youknow, not going to discriminate
.
I mean, whatever language youspeak, we can probably
accommodate you in some way so,just to be clear, someone's
having a tough time.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
They remember that they saw on the what's Happening
with MoCo podcast that thecrisis center is open 24-7.
They can drive in their car,hop on a bus, get an Uber left
and come to the crisis center.
The door will be open orthey'll ring a bell.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
They'll ring a doorbell and then we'll let them
in.
And then the first thing we'llask them how we can help them we
in.
And then the first thing we'llask them why how we can would
help them.
Um, we'll have them fill outsome real quick demographic
information.
If, if they don't obviously ofcourse, if they don't want to,
they don't need to we can justtake them directly to the back,
depending on the severity of thecrisis, and we'll address the
issue at hand immediately sothey'll have a licensed
clinician that they're going tomeet with on the spot.
(09:26):
I know a lot of times peoplehave either private insurance or
you know it takes a long timeto get on a waiting list to
actually see somebody.
So we're more doing like safetyassessments, so more in the
crisis mode.
So obviously we don't doanything ongoing long term.
It's very short term, but at 2am, if you're feeling
overwhelmed, stressed out, um,yeah, and you remember this
podcast, definitely come down,give us a call.
(09:47):
Um, you know we can try to helpyou facilitate getting getting
transportation as well too.
So we go above and beyondwhatever it is that we that we
can do for the community, whatwe'll do it and what's the phone
?
Speaker 2 (09:57):
number 240-777-4000 is there another crisis, a
number to call as well?
Is there a number?
There's a montgomery countythere's a hotline as well too.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
So it's not, it's my, it's banned, it's um manned by
a nonprofit organization, EveryMind.
That's a different number.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
And we'll.
We'll add that in here later.
Right there, All right,excellent Power of video.
So if you guys are listening tothe podcast and you want that
number, check out the videovideo version.
So it's great that you guys areproviding the service at the
center.
What else are you doing to helpraise awareness for people that
are concerned about death bysuicide?
Speaker 4 (10:37):
Well, again, it's a 20-hour center so anybody can
come anytime.
We work in tandem with MCPS, soMontgomery County Public Schools
, so a lot of times there's aprotocol in Montgomery County
Public Schools where, say, astudent might mention that they
want to harm themselves.
So the protocol at the schoolwould be you know the school,
the administrators notify theparents, bring the parents into
(10:57):
the school, um counseloraddresses the issue at school
and then refers them to ourcenter.
So we do see a lot of school,what we would call school
referral.
So a lot of times it's I thinkthere's more awareness nowadays
going on in the times that welive in, with so many people
having attempted or actuallycommitted suicide, um, so I
think that's a great servicethat mcps provides for
(11:17):
individuals as well too, and theparents as well too, because a
lot of times you know studentsas, as our previous guest said
earlier, you know that that agerange among teens and young
adults is a high prevalencereally people attempting or you
know, thinking about it, youknow having the ideations and
thoughts and then kind ofgetting it extended to actually
doing something about it.
So yeah, I think it's a goodservice that's provided and then
(11:38):
we see them and we address theissue at hand.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
And you mentioned self-harm as maybe an indicator
of concern.
Could you talk a little bitabout what is self-harm, but
then also talk about what aresome of the other red flags that
might raise an alarm amongstpeople that are either those
individuals themselves or peoplethat love those people?
Speaker 4 (11:59):
Yeah.
So I would say, withself-harming, that'd be probably
another podcast.
But I would say, first andforemost, a lot of people that
say, think about self-hharm.
We're actually engaging inself-harm, sometimes with people
that are actually not wantingto actually kill themselves per
se right.
A lot of times people might usethat as a coping mechanism
(12:19):
right.
And then our job, maybe atherapist, would be to kind of
find other coping skills thatthey can use instead of, say,
self-harming or cutting or youknow, we see different levels of
self-harm as well too.
So not everybody that engages inself-harm.
We're not going to identifythem as they wanted to commit
suicide or harm themselves.
Again, you have a lot of and wesee it a lot with teens right,
a lot of teens will come in withscratches or cut marks.
(12:42):
So I think just identifying itis a good thing as well too.
And then if we can try tointervene with other coping
skills so a lot of times theymight be using it as a coping
skill um, you know, if we cansubstitute that with something
else, maybe talking to thecounselor or talking to the
parents, or maybe evenidentifying that now the parents
have identified that their kidhas an issue or is doing, is
(13:03):
it's engaging a self-harm, thatmight be it right, that might be
all the person needs that feelsupported now by the parent.
It's a lot of times that timesthe eye opener for a lot of
parents that come in and they'renoticing that their daughter or
son hasn't been engaging inthis for quite some time, and
they weren't even aware of ituntil the school brought it to
their attention.
A lot of times it helps, likeit's an eye opener for a lot of
parents as well too.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
And what are some of the other indicators?
Speaker 4 (13:32):
I'd say, you know, I guess different age ranges, as
far as you know, maybe teens,adults, have different ways of
it manifesting itself, but wesee a lot of just people feeling
hopeless, right, just peoplefeeling emotionally, mentally,
physically drained, um, you know, a lot of times just feeling
like at the end of your rope.
Um, you know, a lot of times,if you're involved in that and
you have these prolongedthoughts for a long period of
time, sometimes that just justconsumes you and the more in
(13:52):
your you're in those thoughtsand those feelings, obviously
sometimes it might lead to youhaving or experience some types
of you know, having somesuicidal ideations.
You know we also look at socialwithdrawal.
Right, if you were kind ofisolating yourself or you were
someone who was very cheerfuland going out a lot with your
friends and family and now allof a sudden there's a change in
(14:13):
your behavior, you might findyourself more isolating or not
enjoying the things that youused to right, you could start
developing like a depressiveepisode and obviously being with
those negative thoughts at aprolonged period of time you
know might lead you to developthese suicidal thoughts.
So again, I would say everyoneis different.
The beauty of this job is thatyou get to meet so many
different people.
You know what works for someperson might not work for others
(14:34):
.
What might be a red flag forone individual it's probably not
a red flag for the other one.
But you know, in my experienceas a clinician kind of you know
the helplessness, the worthfeeling, worthlessness,
helplessness.
You know that the socialwithdrawal and just a change in
behavior sometimes we see as redflags.
But obviously you know there'sdifferent red flags for
different people as well toowhat have you, have you
(14:55):
encountered or what do you saywhen you encounter?
Speaker 2 (14:58):
um people who are reluctant to seek help because
they're not sure, because itcould be embarrassing for the
family of?
Course the individual maycreate conflict between family
members.
What do you say to people thatare, I believe, my loved one is
looking to harm themselves or totake their lives away?
(15:22):
What do you say to that personto encourage them to either step
forward or how to moderatetheir approach, or what's this
sure you know?
What do you do?
What do you say?
Speaker 4 (15:32):
Yeah, so.
So I mean, obviously there'sthere's stigma, right.
I think there's a lot of stigmawith mental health and me,
being Hispanic, I know in ourculture, and I know in other
minority cultures as well too,the fact of mental health in
general is seen as taboo, right,or see if there's a big stigma
attached to it.
So I think a lot of awarenessand education, either for the
family that might have somebodywho's contemplating it or
actually engaging in it orthinking about it, letting them
(15:54):
know that it's not that you'recrazy I know we use that as a
loose term, but it's not theappropriate term obviously these
people depression or suicidethoughts it's something that
hopefully can be treated,hopefully can be addressed.
Unfortunately, there areindividuals that do end up
taking their lives at some point, and we deal with that on an
ongoing basis at our job as welltoo, um, but you know, stigma
(16:17):
is one thing um, I think we liketo tell people to talk about it
right and I know I'm not naiveand wanting to believe that if
you just talk about it, um, youknow it's going to cure all um
and it'snot, and I know it's not but
just sometimes letting otherpeople know what you're going
through is maybe all thatsupport that you really need at
that moment, at that time.
You know, a lot of times Ithink people are fearful to
(16:40):
approach somebody and ask thatquestion.
I think there's a myth sayingyou know, if I, if I ask
somebody, are they trying toharm themselves?
I might put that thought intotheir head and I would say no,
if you, if you really care aboutthe person, if you're that
concerned, go ahead and approachthe individual.
Don't be, don't be in fears,don't be ashamed, don't be
fearful.
If the person is thinking thosethoughts, the thoughts are
(17:01):
already there Like nothing thatyou're going to do is going to
make things worse, probably,right.
You're only going to address itand hopefully maybe that person
is going to feel like, okay, nowthis person really understands
what I'm trying to go through.
I think a lot of times we justtry to validate feelings as well
too.
I know we get a lot of callsfrom people all the time saying
I'm thinking about harmingmyself, or they kind of go into
their story and I think a lot oftimes people just want to be
heard right and not to havesomebody fix them, say, or go to
(17:25):
a therapist, and people assumethat the therapist is going to
fix their problems and of courseI can't fix anybody's problems
right.
I can only fix my own right buta lot of times people I think
that's, that's, that's like, uh,I guess an obstacle for a lot
of people.
But I think as a therapist,sometimes you're just there and
you can validate.
If the person wants to feeldepressed, okay, I'll let them
feel depressed.
If they feel angry, okay, youvalidate their feelings and a
(17:47):
lot of times it's just thathaving the that's Okay and then
you can deal with whateverdeeper issues are going on with
the individual.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
Wonderful, Wonderful.
Now HHS is one of the county'slargest departments.
Are you within the behavioralhealth department?
Speaker 4 (18:00):
Yeah, behavioral health and crisis.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
Now, what are some of the other areas that people can
benefit from that may belistening to this podcast that
does not involve death bysuicide, but maybe other issues
or dynamics that might benefitfrom the resources available.
Speaker 4 (18:16):
Yeah, so I know there is something called the access
team that provides mental healthplus substance abuse.
So it's kind of like a dualdiagnosis clinic.
So any individual that has, say, a substance use issue drugs or
alcohol, a concurring disorderas well too would say it's
associated with a mental healthdiagnosis as well too.
They can access servicesthrough that program as well too
(18:38):
, and I believe they havewalk-in hours as well too.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
So all these services are free, you know, as long as
you're a County resident youknow, some taking we like free,
yeah, exactly, Many times thebarrier to getting help for
families especially familiesthat are working hard to ensure
the best for their families andmaking hard decisions.
We don't want this to be cost,to be a barrier.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
Of course.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
So, it's free to get a lot of help in the county.
Speaker 4 (19:02):
Yeah, so you could get an assessment.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
And then from there.
Speaker 4 (19:05):
They would kind of see, I guess, what kind of level
of care you would warrant,right, maybe something ongoing,
maybe something more specific?
At our center we'd have apsychiatrist as well too.
I know the access team has apsychiatrist as well too.
So the services are out there.
It's just sometimes looking andknowing where to go is the
issue and I have anotherquestion.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
So when someone seeks your help or makes the phone
call, is there a level ofconfidentiality or you know so
that some privacy is there,privacy associated with it, so
that families that are concernedabout I don't want my business
in the street, yeah.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
Yeah, and so another thing that we do, I mean
families can always call in andrequest for our team to go out
and maybe evaluate their, theirloved one as well too.
So that's something that we dowith the mobile crisis team as
well too.
So, again, you can either walkin or we can go to you.
So I mean, we try to make it aseasy as possible to get the
service.
But as far as theconfidentiality, of course,
(20:04):
everything is confidential.
As far as the phone callsaren't.
They're not recorded.
So I think a lot of timespeople are fearful that the you
know lines being recorded,anything like that.
But no, I mean you come in andagain, if we'll sit there on the
phone with you as long as needbe, uh, to kind of get down to
see what it is that you reallyneed, or we'll invite you in um,
or we'll go see you.
(20:24):
That's always an option as well.
That's, that's great.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
That's great they'll come see you.
Speaker 4 (20:27):
It's like uh we'll come see you like the'll come
see you Like the Uber Eats ofmental health, mental health is
fantastic, and sometimes thatmakes a difference.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
Definitely Because sometimes, if someone is,
they're just stuck.
Speaker 4 (20:38):
And you see them in their element.
You see them in their elementat home and kind of you get a
better picture as a clinician.
You get to see what else isgoing on in their life as far as
how they live and how they'readapting.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
Yeah, definitely, yeah, definitely.
All right, excellent, excellent.
Now one more time what's theaddress of the location, the
hours, of course, the cost, andwhat's the phone number?
Speaker 4 (20:56):
So the address is going to be 1301 Picard Drive.
That's P-I-C-C-A-R-D Drive,Rockville, Maryland, 20850.
It's free service and the phonenumber is going to be
240-777-4000.
Speaker 2 (21:10):
All right, all right, so thank you so much for being
here today.
And thank you to everyone overthere in behavioral health for
HHS, a good friend of ours onthe what's Happening MoCo
podcast just recently had avigil.
Was it a vigil against to raiseawareness about overdose?
Speaker 4 (21:26):
Overdose.
I had one up here in the plaza.
Yeah, powerful event, powerfulevent.
Purple everywhere.
Yes, big Everybody up here inthe plaza.
Yeah, powerful event, powerfulevent.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
Purple everywhere.
Big G from Backyard Band wasthere to help moderate, get the
community involved.
So continue to do all the greatwork you do, you and Ben and
the whole Behavioral HealthDepartment.
Speaker 4 (21:41):
Appreciate it.
Thanks a lot, thanks for beinghere.
Of course, appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
And up next we talk to the people that get, the
people that help the people ofMontgomery County, maryland, the
Montgomery County VolunteerCenter.
They have something they wantyou to be aware of that you can
help and learn more about.
And we're back with theMontgomery County Volunteer
Center's senior fellow, rosalynHouston.
Welcome, rosalyn, how are youtoday?
Speaker 5 (22:04):
I'm good.
Thank you so much for having me, Derek.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Thank you for being here and you called you, sent me
a communication and it was soenthusiastic and it was so of
the moment.
There's something excitinggoing on with the Volunteer
Center to get volunteers rampedup and energized for what it was
maybe a new season of givingback.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
Yes, that's right.
So October is MontgomeryCounty's Community Service Month
, and so we are hosting thefirst of its kind event.
It's called Fall into Service.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
All right.
Speaker 5 (22:38):
And the event is going to take place the end of
September, specificallySeptember 28th, at the Urban
Winery in Silver Spring.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
It's going to take place Winery.
Okay, so is the winery fullyfunctional during this event?
Absolutely Okay so is thewinery fully functional during
this event?
Speaker 5 (22:53):
Absolutely yeah.
So the idea we're trying topull in potential volunteers,
say, in the age group of 21 to49-ish 49-ish.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Does that include the 50-ish?
I'm not speaking for myself,I'm saying this hypothetically.
If there's someone you know,early 50s or whatever, they
still able to volunteer.
Speaker 5 (23:13):
Well, let me say this I am in the 60-ish group and I
will be there.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
All right, fantastic yes.
Speaker 5 (23:20):
I only say that age group simply because we have
programs for the 50 plus groupand for the students.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
Understood, totally understood, all right.
And so where's the Urban Winerylocated?
Speaker 5 (23:31):
It's in Silver Spring and I would have to.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
That's okay.
Google Urban Winery or ask Sirito give you directions at Urban
Winery, and she'll be happy todo it right.
Speaker 5 (23:40):
Correct.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Also, you said what was the date?
Speaker 5 (23:42):
of that, it's September 28th and it's fall,
yes, fall, yes, so it's a playon the word because it is fall,
yes, excellent, wonderful, yep.
It's on a Sunday afternoon fromtwo to four and the idea, as I
said, to bring in this crowdthat we haven't really targeted
specifically in the past andwhat we're going to do is have
(24:02):
several animal welfareorganizations represent it.
So we're going to have somecats and dogs and possibly some
other critters when we find out.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
On site, on site at the winery that day.
So hold on, there's wine andcheap fuzzy animals.
So hold on, there's wine andcheap fuzzy animals.
Speaker 5 (24:20):
But there's more, there's more.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
What more do you need ?
You have cheap fuzzy animalsand wine.
Okay, all right, I'm sorry.
What more?
Speaker 5 (24:30):
So we want to give individuals who may not have
volunteered before or may nothave volunteered recently as
adults an opportunity to get ataste of volunteering.
So we're going to have a fewcommunity service or service
projects.
So we're going to have twoservice projects specifically to
make cat toys and then twoprojects to make dog toys.
(24:52):
And so we'll donate those to thenonprofits that are going to be
on site with us.
But we just think having theservice projects in addition to
giving nonprofits that are goingto be on site with us, but we
just think having the serviceprojects in addition to giving
those that participate anopportunity to kind of see what
it's like to volunteer, we thinkthat it'll bring in a lot of
the social benefits ofvolunteering, right?
(25:12):
So I'm sure you've heard aboutthe male loneliness epidemic and
the lonely not you specifically.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
I know you're not a part of that.
I've never heard of such athing.
Oh my gosh Guilty.
Speaker 5 (25:23):
Okay, you know but our last Surgeon General had
said there's a lonelinessepidemic and I think for people
in this age group, particularlyif they don't have kids, for
example, they may fall prey tothat, and so we think the
service projects, as well as theanimals, would be a good
opportunity for interact withother people.
(25:44):
You know, the dogs and catsobviously give you an
opportunity to interact withtheir handlers, and just the
nature of the projects, it'sjust, it lends itself, it's
almost an icebreaker in and ofitself.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
Sounds like a fun environment for people,
especially people that are alittle shy the animals will help
bring them in and you havesomething to focus on and be
able to kind of yes, kind of getyou excited about what's going
on at the event and maybe alsoexcited about volunteering yes,
yes.
Speaker 5 (26:14):
So something for the introverts, the animals, and
then the extroverts and thenpeople just like wine.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
How about that?
People just like wine comingout there.
Speaker 5 (26:23):
No, we're not encouraging the wine drink, but
we do want to patronize theestablishment, that's.
You know.
They've offered their space.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Certainly we have a big heart for Montgomery
County-based businesses.
And I'm not going to say itenough, we love Montgomery
County based businesses and I'mnot going to say it enough.
We love Montgomery County basedbusinesses and anything that
bolsters business in MontgomeryCounty, maryland, is something
that we love to support, sothat's wonderful that you guys
are doing that, but that's notthe only thing you guys do.
At the Montgomery CountyVolunteer Service Center.
(26:51):
You are active all year long.
What are some of the thingsthat you want people to know
about volunteering in the countywith your organization?
Speaker 5 (26:58):
So the mission of the Montgomery County Volunteer
Center is to promote communityservice throughout the county,
and we do that three ways byrecruiting both nonprofits as
well as individuals and groupsto volunteer.
And then by connecting them,primarily through our Montgomery
(27:19):
Serves online platform.
The website addressesmontgomeryservesorg, and their
organizations have anopportunity to post any needs
they have for volunteers, andthen individuals can go in there
and find opportunities tovolunteer based on their
specific interests, locationlots of different options to
(27:43):
find something that's a good fitfor you.
And then we support ournonprofits as well as
individuals through training.
Specifically, one of the thingsthat we've rolled out recently
is our R3 training, which isprimarily for volunteer
coordinators within ournonprofits, and so the R3 stands
(28:03):
for recruit, retain and reward,so giving them tools for
managing volunteers throughoutthe life cycle.
Additionally, we do monthlywebinars for individuals who
just want to learn how to useour platform to find the
volunteer opportunity that'sright for them.
And then we also do a monthlyorientation and partnership with
(28:27):
Montgomery County PublicSchools so that we teach
nonprofits who want to award SSLour Student Service Learning
Hours to our students what theyneed to do in order to qualify
to be SSL certified.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
That's very comprehensive.
Yes, Now what's the URL again?
Speaker 5 (28:48):
It's montgomeryservesorg.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
Okay, great.
Is there a phone number peoplecould call or email address
associated as well?
Speaker 5 (28:56):
um.
Volunteer at montgomery servesor montgomerycountymarylandgov
volunteer at montgomery, countymaryland.
Md is md.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
Yes, thank you, okay, mdgov all right, great, all
right, and then, if you'rewatching the video, we'll have
something right around here thatwill show you the exact email
address and the web address.
So, ms Houston, thank you somuch for being here today.
Is there anything else you wantpeople to know about
volunteering in the countybefore we close out?
Speaker 5 (29:26):
I would say I think this is an important time for
lots of people in terms ofgetting into the volunteer space
One reason that I can think of,of course.
Unfortunately, we've had manypeople in this area who have
lost their federal governmentjobs and while they're looking,
(29:47):
we think volunteering hasseveral benefits for them.
For one thing, it can help youdevelop new skills that you may
not have already to add to yourresume.
I'll just share this shortstory about my daughter, who
she's in North Carolina, butwhen she graduated from A&T, she
(30:08):
moved to Charlotte and shebegan Aggie pride.
Oh are you.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
No one of my friends went to.
Speaker 3 (30:15):
North.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
Carolina.
A&t A great HBCUBCU known formath, engineering and sciences.
Speaker 5 (30:19):
Yes, yes, my father was an A&T grad and so she
followed in his footsteps.
But in any case, when she movedto Charlotte she volunteered to
coach be an assistant coach ofa girls' volleyball team.
Now, she grew up in MontgomeryCounty and so she had played
volleyball middle school, highschool, club ball and she just
(30:40):
really loves it.
Well, eventually that programgot disbanded, but recently she
lost her job when all thefederal jobs and grant funding
got pulled back.
But she continues to playRecreation League volleyball and
through that job, through theplaying recreation league
(31:01):
volleyball, she now has at leasta part-time job, um as the head
coach of the same girlsvolleyball team at the school
that she had volunteered withbefore that's wonderful.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
She's a paid head coach.
Found a way to pivot and alsohelp.
People, and especially youngpeople, have a love for
volleyball but sometimes lackthe the skilled individuals to
help enhance their amateur oreducational career in volleyball
.
Speaker 5 (31:29):
And you touched on another benefit of volunteering,
which is finding your passionright.
Your work may not yourday-to-day nine to five job may
not be what you're passionateabout, but you can really
explore a number of volunteeropportunities and find something
that really sparks your passion.
That will lead to otheropportunities.
Because literally, she just hadhung around after volleyball
(31:53):
practice, hanging out next toher friend who was talking to
this man who was just gettingthis program up and going to
provide this resource toprimarily African-American girls
who didn't have many of theresources to help them become
(32:16):
good volleyball players.
So all of those reasonsdeveloping skills, finding your
passion, making connections, notbeing lonely, finding a sense
of purpose so you don't feellike you're just kind of
drifting when you don't have ajob.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
So many reasons to volunteer in the county, yes,
Other than you know just it'sthe right thing to do.
Speaker 5 (32:37):
Yes, you know it's the right thing to do yes.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
Help your fellow man.
It's rewarding self-rewarding,but it also benefits the entire
community, and by helping thecommunity you help the county,
and by helping the county youhelp individuals and residents
within the county, and theVolunteer Center does a great
job of leading that charge.
Thank you so much for beinghere, rosalind Houston.
Speaker 3 (32:59):
That that charge.
Thank you so much for beinghere Um Rosalind uh Houston
that's what's happening.
Speaker 5 (33:02):
I was going to add something else.
Oh, no, no, no, I'm sure youguys are going to edit this.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
Oh no, no, this is authentic.
They get, they get the wholething, the whole thing.
So it's okay.
No, so you?
Speaker 5 (33:11):
made.
You made me think of somethingelse in terms of helping the uh,
the County, the community.
So again related to the cutsand the funding for many of our
nonprofits right who are reallypartners with the county
government in meeting so many ofthe needs in the county.
Many of them have lost some oftheir funding resources and so
(33:32):
they need volunteers to step inand they're getting more demand
again because of programs thatmay have been cut and not have
their funding.
So they have a need for morevolunteers because they are
trying to service more peoplewith fewer resources.
So it really benefits everyone,individuals as well as
(33:53):
organization, like you said, ourcommunity as a whole.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
Okay, well, thank you so much for being here.
That's what's happening, milco,montgomery County volunteer
center, and they want you tofall into service with their
organization with with cute dogsand cats and bunny rabbits in
line.
Speaker 5 (34:10):
Hopefully we'll get the bunnies to come out.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
September 28th.
Yes, urban winery Correct.
Speaker 5 (34:16):
Two to four.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
Be there or be square .
Speaker 5 (34:19):
All right, all right, thank you.
Speaker 2 (34:21):
All right, and if you're out there and you want to
connect with the what'sHappening MoCo podcast, follow
us at what's Happening MoCo.
What's Happening MoCo.
That's it, thank you, bye.
Speaker 1 (34:33):
Thanks for listening to what's Happening, MoCo.
Please subscribe via yourfavorite podcasting platform and
follow us on Facebook.
This podcast is brought to youby County Cable Montgomery, your
source for news and informationfrom the Montgomery County
government.
Connect with us via cable,Facebook, Instagram or YouTube
(34:55):
by searching for County CableMoCo.
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