Rising rate of youth suicide prompts awareness event
A study recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed an alarming trend.
After years of decline, the suicide rate for females ages 10 to 24 rose 8 percent from 2003 to 2004. Suicide was the third leading cause of death in 2005 among teens and young adults ages 15 to 24.
Save a Life Outreach, sponsored by the St. Peter Damian High School Youth Ministry in Bartlett, will address the issue Jan. 20 at a symposium on suicide awareness and prevention.
Speaking at the event will be Ken Meyers and Jeanne Malnati of the nonprofit foundation Elyssa's Mission. Elyssa Meyers was a 16-year-old sophomore at New Trier High School when she took her own life in 2004.
Adults and teens are invited to the free event, which will take place from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at St. Peter Damian Parish, 109 S. Crest Ave., Bartlett.
Call Liz DeSimon at (630) 837-5411 or e-mail ldesimon@stpeterdamian.org for more information or to register.
Road safety: Driving is becoming a little safer in Bartlett. That's the hope, at least.
The Bartlett Police Department has begun implementing traffic enforcement programs created through three grants awarded by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
The grants, which total $52,000, specify that officers must be hired back on an overtime basis to focus on enforcing speed-related laws and impaired driving. One grant aims to reduce injuries and fatalities from crashes by enforcing seat belt and child safety seat rules.
The programs will run through October.
Fire Explorer Program: The Streamwood Fire Department is looking for young men and women between the ages of 14 and 21 interested in a career in either fire fighting or the medical field.
The Streamwood Fire Explorer Program, started in 1993, is looking for new recruits, as many of its current members are 21 and about to move on.
The program is designed to give participants an idea of what the job is about and help them decide if this is indeed the type of career they'd like to pursue.
The program will meet every third Sunday, when its coordinator, firefighter Lori Beach, is available through her normal work schedule.
The Firefighter Explorer Program was started by the Boy Scouts of America and run locally by Streamwood Firefighters' Local 3022.
As such programs are few and far between in the Northwest suburbs, participants do not need to be residents of Streamwood. Most meetings will be at Streamwood's Fire Station 1 on Park Boulevard, however.
The program includes training in CPR certification, first aid, fire behavior, search and rescue, vehicle extraction, water rescue, self-contained breathing apparatus, hazardous materials and technical rescue.
After a year of training, participants are eligible for the ride-along program to go on actual calls.
Once participants are out of high school, they may also enroll in a separate emergency medical technician training program.
For more information, call Beach at (630) 736-3660.