Soltex Employees Raise Awareness and Funds for Suicide Prevention
Monday, October 16th, 2023
At its core, Soltex has always placed the utmost importance on customer service, product quality, building relationships, and fostering a company culture that highly values its employees and encourages support for its communities. In September of 2022, members of the Soltex team participated in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) annual fundraiser “Out of the Darkness Walk” in Morris County, New Jersey.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Data & Statistics Report for 2020, suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the United States. In 2020, 45,979 Americans died by suicide with an estimated 1.2 million more suicide attempts. Established in 1987, the AFSP is a voluntary organization that gives those affected by suicide a nationwide community empowered by research, education, and advocacy to take action against this leading cause of death.
The AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states and organizes walks across those chapters to raise awareness to help change the conversation about mental health and put a stop to this tragic loss of life.
Since 2012, Soltex has dedicated support to the AFSP’s mission to save lives. About the company’s longstanding involvement with AFSP, Soltex Vice President of Sales, Susan Kovacs says, “We understand that suicidal thoughts, much like mental health conditions, can affect anyone regardless of age, gender, or background. It is our hope that our small contributions can help raise awareness of this stigmatized, and often taboo, topic.” He also adds, “We wish to help in shifting public perception, spread hope, and share vital information to people affected by suicide. The truth is, we can all benefit from honest conversations about mental health conditions and suicide because just one conversation can change a life.”
The AFSP creates a culture that’s smart about mental health by engaging in core strategies like funding scientific research, educating the public about mental health and suicide, advocating for public policies in mental health and suicide prevention, and supporting survivors of suicide loss and those affected by suicide.
Over the last year, the Morris County Walk raised over $76,000 and the entire New Jersey chapter of AFSP has raised more than $1.1 million to date for this important cause. Soltex looks forward to participating once again for the 2023 walk in Morris County this November 2023.
