Suicide Prevention Advocate Kevin Hines Headlining Rock Island Conference Thursday
Kevin Hines, one of the world’s leading suicide-prevention advocates, will be the keynote speaker for “Can’t Replace You” – a conference Thursday, Sept. 30 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Ballroom, 226 17th St., Rock Island, presented by Foster’s Voice and The Gray Matters Collective.
Kevin Hines attempted to take his life in 2000, at age 19, by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge and is among the just 1 percent of suicide attempts there who have survived.
Foster’s Voice, Inc., is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping others with depression and advocating for suicide awareness and prevention. It’s named for Foster Atwood, a 19-year-old United Township grad struggling with depression who took his life on July 21, 2017. The Gray Matters, co-founded by 2020 Augustana College alum Haley DeGreve, is a mental health campaign that seeks to initiate conversation around the gray area between mental health awareness and stigma. The goal is to spread a message of hope, solidarity, and compassion.
DeGreve and Foster’s father Kevin Atwood announced the Sept. 30 event – part of National Suicide Prevention Month – on Facebook Live Aug. 27.
“Suicide Prevention Month doesn’t end October 1st. It should be every month,” DeGreve said, noting that’s why they’re holding the conference at the end of the month. “We’re super excited
DeGreve in a poster for The Gray Matters campaign.
because we have some amazing people who are part of this event. We will have local mental health treatment centers, schools, advocacy groups,” she said.
Hines, 39, is a Golden Gate Bridge jump survivor who’s a best-selling author, global public speaker, and award-winning documentary filmmaker. In the year 2000, Hines attempted to take his life by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. Many factors contributed to his miraculous survival, including a sea lion which kept him afloat until the Coast Guard arrived. He now travels the world sharing his story of hope, healing, and recovery while teaching people of all ages the art of wellness and the ability to survive pain with true resilience.
DeGreve had Hines as a special guest on a January 2021 episode of her “Surviving the Suck” mental health podcast. At the time, she called him “a dear friend of mine and a pure inspiration for millions of people.”
Hines gained nationwide fame for surviving an attempt at taking his own life by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco at age 19. After leaping, Hines, as described by Time, had instant regret: “When my hands left that rail—and my legs curled over—as soon as I
Kevin Hines attempted to take his life in 2000, at age 19, by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge and is among the just 1 percent of suicide attempts there who have survived.
left the bridge, I thought, ‘I don’t want to die’,” he said. He had gone over the railing head first, but when he regretted his decision, turned himself around to land in the water legs first. The impact force was comparable to slamming into a concrete wall. After he’d surfaced, he felt a creature nudging his body which he initially thought was a shark trying to eat him, and punched at it. The creature was later identified as a sea lion by a witness. The sea lion helped keep Hines afloat until he was rescued by the Coast Guard.
“He is not only saving lives, but changing the world each and every day,” DeGreve said. “It’s because of Kevin’s story that The Gray Matters Collective is in existence and why I am an advocate.”
“He’s just a really awesome guy. He’s one of my mental health heroes,” she said Friday. “I am
“Can’t Replace You,” a suicide-prevention event, will be held Sept. 30 at the Holiday Inn Ballroom, 226 17th St., Rock Island, for a $10 donation.
very excited to have him not only in the Quad-Cities and supporting Foster’s Voice, The Gray Matters, but also the local resources and people at this event.”
Kevin Atwood of Foster’s Voice said Hines is the “number-one suicide prevention advocate around the world.”
DeGreve first just asked him to record a video for the Sept. 30 event, and Hines replied, “What if I came in person?” He told her that morning, he was going to give a speech at a conference in Iowa, just 90 minutes from the Q-C.
“To me, whether you believe in God or you don’t, it just felt like God had his hand in this, wanted him to be here at this event,” DeGreve said. “I have a strong feeling someone who’s gonna be at this event is going to want to hear what he has to say.”
The event will include poet Altease Ramsey, who will do a spoken word performance. “There’s going to be a lot of amazing things happening. I think right now, so many people need to know that they’re not alone and also to see they’re not alone,” she said. “To be face to face, and recognize it’s OK to not be OK, but you don’t have to stay there. You can get the help you need.”
In 2016, Mental Health America awarded Hines their highest honor, The Clifford W. Beers Award for his efforts to improve the lives of and attitudes toward people with mental illnesses. Previously, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Council of Behavioral Health in partnership with Eli Lilly. Hines has also been awarded by SAMSHA as a Voice Awards Fellow and Award Winner, an Achievement Winner by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and received over 30 U.S. military excellence medals as a civilian.
DeGreve (co-founder of The Gray Matters) featured Hines on her Jan. 11, 2021 “Surviving the Suck” podcast.
He sits on the boards of the International Bipolar Foundation, the Bridge Rail Foundation and the Mental Health Association of San Francisco. and on the Survivors Committee of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255).
Previously, he was a board member of the Northern California Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and was a two-term member of San Francisco’s Mental Health Board. He has spoken in congressional hearings alongside Patrick Kennedy in support of The Mental Health Parity Bill. He continues his policy work as an Ambassador to the National Council for Behavioral Health.
In the summer of 2013, Hines released his bestselling memoir titled Cracked Not Broken, Surviving and Thriving After A Suicide Attempt. His story was featured in the 2006 film The Bridge by the
Haley DeGreve and Kevin Atwood of Foster’s Voice discuss the plans for the Sept. 30 conference on Facebook Live.
film director and producer Eric Steel.
Kevin believes in the power of the human spirit and in the fact that you can find the ability to live mentally well. His mantra: “Life is a gift, that is why they call it the present. Cherish it always.”
His 2018 documentary “Suicide: The Ripple Effect” is now available to view via the Theatrical On Demand platform and iTunes, Amazon Video, VUDU and Google Play. The film chronicles Kevin’s personal journey and the ripple effect it has on those who have been impacted by his suicide attempt and his life’s work since. In addition, the film highlights the stories of individuals and families who are using their personal tragedy to bring hope and healing to others.
Suicide is an epidemic that takes over 800,000 lives globally every year, according to Hines, who said in the U.S. alone, there are one million suicide attempts and over 40,000 deaths by suicide every year. The U.S. military has been devastatingly impacted, with 22 veterans dying every day by suicide, and that is an understatement, according to www.kevinhinesstory.com/suicide-the-ripple-effect.
At the Sept. 30 event, topics to be discussed include suicide loss, suicide attempt stories, mention of mental illness, and more. Please be mindful of this while attending the event. Admission will be $10 donation per ticket, and students & children are free: Use promo code “STUDENT,” available HERE.
For more information about Foster’s Voice, visit www.facebook.com/FostersVoice2/. For more on The Gray Matters, visit www.facebook.com/TheGrayMattersCollective.
