Pick Up The Phone Tour Supports the 1.877.VET.2VET Hotline

The Pick Up The Phone tour featuring Blue October starts Friday, September 3rd in New Braunfels TX. It will tour throughout the west and then head east. You can find show dates, ticket information and more at pickupthephone.org Proceeds from the tour will go to support our veteran's peer to peer crisis hotline 1.877.VET.2.VET.
The "Hope Car" is on its way to Texas. Feel free to honk and wave if you see our reps on the road! The "Hope Car" and the wrap were generously donated by Denise Burne-Fein of Matt Burne Honda in Scranton, PA in memory of her brother Matt.	click for larger image

Support our Veterans!

World news: Last U.S. combat team has just left Iraq. Our deepest gratitude goes to the military men and women who have spent months and years defending our homeland. They are finally coming back home.

Sadly, many of the veterans have post-traumatic stress disorder and won't be able to adjust back to civilian life.

If you are a veteran or you know someone who came back from active duty and has trouble with memories and experiences of the war - please call our hotline at
1-877-VET-2-VET (1-877-838-2838).

If you are a veteran, and would like to support your fellow combatants by providing a few hours of online support every month , please email Nicole@hopeline.com . We provide free training and it will help dozens of men and women heal and go back to daily activities with their loved one.

For only 33¢ a day support our hotlines and help train peer to peer veteran volunteers .

This Week's Feature - Why I Chose Life
Casie's Story

My name is Casie and I am the Pick Up The Phone Tour volunteer. You might have seen my picture and read my story on www.PostSecret.com .

Many of you know that I have struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts at different times of my life. A few years ago I found myself in such a dark hole I really needed to reach out for help. By the grace of God I remembered seeing the number for the suicide hotline inside the front cover of the 1st Postsecrets book. I called the 1-800 Suicide Hotline . I talked with someone there for a few hours. I truly feel they saved my life. Not only did they help me during the height of my crisis but they gave me the information I needed to get more long-term help in my area.
I sent an email a few days after I made that call to thank them for helping me. My email was posted to the widely read blog called Postsecret.com . Frank Warren (the owner of the Blog) received a lot of feedback about my email from people sharing their stories of struggle and hope. Frank asked me if he could post my picture on the blog to put a face with my story. I said yes and he received an even bigger response. For two years my short email and picture stayed at the bottom of that blog for everyone to read and it continues to be posted from time to time. It wasn't always easy to be so honest about my depression and struggle and sometimes I felt feelings of shame and embarrassment, but every time I started to feel that way or begin to doubt if being so honest about it was a good idea, Frank would forward me an email from someone that my story affected. I knew if just one person was helped it was worth any repercussions that might result from someone seeing my picture and story.
Over the years quite a few people have found me on Myspace and Facebook, some of them complete strangers. They have opened up to me about their battles with suicidal thoughts or shared their losses of losing someone dear to this horrible and VERY finale decision. Today I know I made the right decision to be willing to talk open and unashamed of my story. In April of this year I was invited to Boston and was presented with the Kristin Brooks Hope Center Postsecret Community Hero Award . I have now been blessed with the opportunity to go to 17 different cities between September 4th and October 9th to share my story and help raise awareness and money for 1-800 Suicide and www.Imalive.org with the Pick up the Phone Tour . I will be speaking from the stage each night, represent the organization, its mission and goals connecting the mission with the tour, as well as offering the concert attendees inspiration and hope. I'm in the process of becoming fully trained and certified as a crisis counselor and will complete certification prior to going on tour.
I am writing you today to request not only your Prayers but also your help with a donation to assist with the expenses of my trip and leave of absence from work. I realize that the majority of people are struggling financially now more than ever, so please give only what you can. Any donation will be appreciated in my fight to increase awareness and shed light on what has become a silent killer in our nation.
Did you know that for every homicide there are two suicides in the US today? 19 Million Americans struggle with depression. Untreated depression is the leading cause of suicide. Two thirds of people who struggle with depression never seek treatment. There are an estimated 840,000 suicide attempts and more than 32,000 people die by suicide in America each year. Since 1999 there have been over 4 million calls to 1-800-Suicide . We recognize the technological age we find ourselves in today and we know that millions of people in crisis will never pick up the phone. We believe that www.IMAlive.org is part of the solution to the problem. IMAlive.org is a live online crisis network that uses instant messaging to respond to people in crisis. Imalive.org is the first Crisis Center of its kind. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and thank you in advance for anything you can contribute.