Above: SYFS is conducting outreach for September’s Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. (images cropped from flyers)
Southborough Youth and Family Services is again organizing a community-wide effort for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.
This September, the agency is encouraging the public to help spread awareness through lawn signs and lapel ribbons. Plus, they’re promoting ways for residents to help community members feel less lonely, and training to help recognize and support others in crisis.
Host a “Good Neighbor Day”
SYFS promotes:
Good Neighbor Day is a statewide effort to encourage connection, and it’s a natural fit for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Although it’s officially observed September 25 to 29, we’re encouraging the conversation all month long. There are two ways to get involved:
- Host a GND Community Event (great for folks with a large gathering space): If you have bandwidth or know a Southborough organization that does, we’d love to collaborate to bring people together in whatever way works best.
- Host a Neighbor Notes Display (works well for offices, lobbies, or waiting rooms): A simple, meaningful alternative that can run all month. We’ll bring everything needed and set up a community display built around a question centered on gratitude, joy, and connection. Folks can add their answer for others to read. All that’s needed is a wall and we’ll bring the rest. If you have an organization or group in mind please let us know or share this email with them.
The linked website explains the The Massachusetts Coalition to Build Community and End Loneliness’ 2nd annual Good Neighbor Day initiative:
a statewide celebration dedicated to strengthening connections, encouraging kindness, and fostering a deeper sense of belonging throughout the Commonwealth. . .
Whether you’re an individual, an organization, or a community group, we invite you to host or participate in an event that brings people together in welcoming and joyful ways.
Events can be big or small — think potlucks, block parties, music or movie nights, interactive art shows, scavenger hunts, community walks or picnics, cleanups, front-porch gatherings, or intergenerational get-togethers.
What matters most is the spirit of connection.
It looks like the timing is fortuitous, since the window lines up with Southborough Rotary’s Oktoberfest on Sunday, September 27th from 1:00 to 5:00 pm downtown. As I wrote yesterday, the event has no cover charge. So even if you don’t want to spend on purchasing beer or food, you can still enjoy the joy and camaraderie of the community gathering. Read more about that here.
If any official Good Neighbor community events are announced, I’ll be sure to update readers.
As for setting up a display, SYFS’ flyer notes that they will cover the supplies and setup. You can learn more about the “toolkit” for that here.
QPR Suicide Prevention Training
SYFS is inviting the public to sign up to take part in their free 90-minute training sessions for people of all backgrounds. Learn the “Question, Persuade, Refer” (QPR) method to recognizing warning signs of suicide, so you can connect individuals to the help they need.
You can sign up for one of the sessions they’re holding, or coordinate with them to schedule a session for a group.
Show Your Support
Reach out about getting a lapel ribbon and/or lawn sign to show your support for, and raise awareness of Suicide Prevention Month.
Sign Up
To get involved with any of the above opportunities please fill out SYFS’ form here: tiny.cc/SP-Form-2026
