Did you know that nearly every 30 seconds, a call to Lifeline is made? Lifeline is one of Australia’s leading charity organisations dedicated to supporting people facing emotional distress and mental health, and since 1966 has maintained a presence in the Hunter Region and Central Coast. Throughout its over 50-year history, Lifeline has grown to offer a suite of services for the local community, including a crisis support line, free counselling, education, support groups and retail stores. On Sunday 10 September is World Suicide Prevention Day, Lifeline Australia will host ‘Out of the Shadows Walk’ to remember those lost to suicide and help Australians in crisis. We recently spoke with Breelan Bell, Lifeline Corporate and Community Partnerships Coordinator to learn about the challenges Lifeline faces and the importance of raising awareness about suicide prevention.
Volunteers are crucial to Lifeline
According to Lifeline, over 1 million calls are made each year to their service, which equates to a call nearly every 30 seconds. Volunteers play an important role in responding to these calls, which is why Lifeline Hunter connects with the community to promote volunteering. For the organisation, the goal is to ensure that ‘no one is left alone in their darkest times’. While there are many challenges the organisation considers, growing its volunteer base is a priority.
Should you or someone you know be interested in volunteering to be a Crisis support counsellor, you can register your interest here.
Community impact of Out of the Shadows Walk
The Out of the Shadows Walk for World Suicide Prevention Day, which is proudly sponsored by Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group (NCIG), is a way for the community and local businesses to come together to provide hope and support to those affected by suicide, to overcome stigma and prevent further deaths by suicide. As more of the community learns about suicide prevention, the better they can support those in need. Alongside this, workplaces can also be a support network to increase awareness and connect staff with organisations like Lifeline for help. Lifeline Hunter offer useful resources to equip businesses and get involved with fundraising to assist in furthering services, including clothing/homeware donation drives and even workshops staff can join in.
Supporting local with local
Sharp Office has worked with Lifeline Hunter to provide print solutions for their Islington office. As a local base for their operation, finding a reliable partner who understands their business needs was essential. Working with Nick Ashford, Breelan and the team were impressed by the ‘competitive pricing and value for money’, which led to partnering with Sharp Office. ‘Nick has been great to deal with, from the initial meeting to find out what our business needs were to offering ongoing customer service support over the years, nothing was ever a problem’ and the ‘customer service’ and ‘efficient on-site technical support’ are great, says the Lifeline Hunter team.
When he’s not helping customers with their print technology, Nick enjoys getting involved in local initiatives and will be leading team Sharp Office in the Out of the Shadows Walk in September. If you would like to learn how new print technology can help your business, reach out to Nick or another dedicated Sharp Office print expert today.
