On April 7th 1998 at 5:30 in the morning the police knocked on my door in Vallejo, California to tell me that my wife Kristin Brooks had hung herself in a psychiatric ward. As I had expected her to be released later that day and we had plans to go to Fort Funston with our beloved dog Budweiser Rio I was in total shock. It took months before the initial shock wore off and reality set in. When it did I dedicated my life to preventing similar suicides so other loved ones would never have to suffer as Kristin, her family and mine suffered.
It was the most painful experience of my life and brought me to the brink of wanting to take my own life to end the pain I was suffering. Instead I turned that pain into action and started the Kristin Brooks Hope Center and the National Hopeline Network 1-800-SUICIDE. I used the proceeds from her life insurance and the sale of our home to underwrite the first three years. Then a federal grant which I secured after making a plea to Congress, (in particular Senators Paul Wellstone, Pete Domenici, Ted Kennedy and Harry Reid) in 2000 which lasted until the end of 2004. I then received help from Michael Faenza, the CEO of the National Mental Health Association to whom we are deeply indebted as without them the line would already be out of business. For two years he and NMHA (esp. Cathy Stewart and Bryan Fleming) fought side by side to help me rebuild the organization and gain support from the private sector and repayment from the federal government for legitimate bills due both of our organizations.
They fought for the same reason I did. The callers were what mattered, not the politics. The confidentiality has been at the core of our fight to keep 800-SUICIDE private and out of the hands of the government.
I would be remiss if I did not mention that without the support of the Take Action Tour, the punk rock community and the integrity of the founder Louis Posen and his good friend Mike Park (founder of the Plea For Peace Tour and Asian Man Records) we would not have made it this far. We owe them both a great deal of credit as they have never faltered in their support totaling over $250,000 during the last 5 years.
This is a battle for the heart and soul of the crisis line community that is steeped in the protection of the caller’s identity and to remain an anonymous and confidential crisis line network.
As long as I have the support of the American people and the crisis center community I will continue to fight for their rights and the protection of the callers’ identity.
Please help me save my wife’s legacy and the future of the nation’s crisis line network.
Best always,
Reese Butler
President and Founder
Kristin Brooks Hope Center
National Hopeline Network 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433)
202-536-3200 phone
202-536-3206 fax
615 7th Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
www.hopeline.com
reese@hopeline.com