September is Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month
Community September 21, 2020
BLAIRSVILLE, Ga – Union County had the third-highest suicide rate per capita in Georgia in 2018, according to the CDC.
Sole Commissioner Lamar Paris proclaimed September 2020 as Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month in Union County with Change in Our World Director Rebecca Brendle.
Beginning in 2015, Change in Our World had brought awareness and ministered to countless young people in the community about the value of life.
Exert from the proclamation: “Young people are key to Union County, Georgia’s future success, prosperity, and quality of life, our young people are our most valuable resource; they deserve opportunities to discover themselves and their purpose in secure environments that allow them to create relationships, find wholeness, and strengthen others.”
Change in Our World tirelessly works to provide opportunity and gathering places for the youth of Union County. The organization has a regular meeting space, hosts local events, and recently purchased the Blairsville Ice Cream and Mini-Golf stand. Change in Our World participants and the community are always invited to stop by the ice cream shop. In October, the organization will be participating in the Georgia Mountain Fairground Arts and Crafts Festival, and then in November, it will be attending the Mountain Country Christmas in Lights Festival.
Hopefully, its efforts will help to empower local young people, letting them find their voices and becoming contributing members of the community.
By raising awareness and placing value on the lives of the individual, suicide can be prevented. Those dedicated to creating safe and guided environments for Union County’s youths that are free of judgment, alcohol, and drugs will give teenagers and children an opportunity to reach their full potential and become the next generation of leaders.
The county’s goal is to let young people know that they’re valued. No one will be forgotten.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HfC1jlTIN8&feature=youtu.be
Feature image courtesy of Change in Our World. Recently, the non-profit received a $5,000 grant from the county.
4 non-profits working to end substance abuse and poverty
Community August 24, 2020
BLAIRSVILLE, Ga – Change in Our World, Freedom Ministries, New Hope Counseling, and Family Connection received four substance abuse grants at the August 2020 Union County Commission Meeting.
Five local organizations applied for the grant, and an independent committee selected the four winners. The members of the committee are anonymous. The commissioner had zero input on who received funds. These grants began in 2010 after the passage of the alcohol referendum.
“I make the commitment to set aside $50,00 each year from alcohol license fees and tax receipts to put back into the community for the purpose of helping to combat the alcohol and drug abuse problems that already exist in Union County,” said Sole Commissioner Lamar Paris.
The county distributes half of the assets in the form of grants to organizations that applied for the funds.
Change in Our World, founded by Rebecca Brendle in 2015, is a suicide prevention organization that helps young people navigate their teenage years. The organization offers several outreach initiatives throughout the year and provides teenagers with a meeting facility at the Change in Our World office. Recently, Brendle purchased Blairsville’s Ice Cream and Mini Golf as another area for Change kids to volunteer. She hopes it will be open almost all year round to provide young people with a fun place to go.
“A lot of this has to do with prevention work because their families are bad situations for them, so they can either repeat the pattern or come out of that pattern,” explained Brendle. “We’re a faith-based organization, so we’re not necessarily a part of the school. It’s a lot of word of mouth on how they come to us.
Freedom Ministries in North Georgia provides addiction counseling for almost 15 years. The faith-based program has classes for men and women. It also has the Freedom House for men in the area who don’t have a safe place to stay.
“Right now, with all this going on, our alcohol and opioid addiction is spiraling out of control. It’s just climbing. We thank everybody in the county for supporting us,” said James Spiva.
L to R: Family Connection Katy Jones, New Hope Counseling Troy Beaver, Freedom Ministries James Spiva, Change in Our World Rebecca Brendle
Established in 20015, New Hope Counseling is an accredited alcohol and drug treatment program as well as DUI school. Out of 2,300 to 3,000 clinical evaluations, 40 and 50 percent of people are in treatment, and 20 and 30 percent are in recovery. Since 2008, New Hope Counseling has struggled to keep the doors open due to the non-renewal of the federal grant it received in 2005.
New Hope Counseling Representative Troy Beaver enlightened the room about the difficulties of prevention measurement:
“It’s extremely difficult to measure prevention, I can’t tell you how many cases of the coronavirus were prevented because you’re wearing a mask…I can’t tell you how many of your lawnmowers or chainsaws or weed eaters weren’t stolen last night because someone received treatment at New Hope…but I could fill this room with individuals that will give testimonials about how New Hope Counseling through their work and our supportive treatment are now productive, tax-paying members of our community.”
Family Connection, founded in 1998, works with children to ensure a child’s success and instill productive habits that they will carry into adulthood. The program has paid out over $25,700 emergency funds to families in need. The Goodies from the Heart and Panthers’ Pantry worked to deliver weekly meals to 60 families who lacked transportation during the COVID-19 shutdown. Over 400 students participated in the Backpack to School Bash, which removed the financial stress of back-to-school shopping for those families.
“There’s a Family Connection in every county. It might look a little bit different. In Union County, since the beginning, we have realized how to prevent poverty and break that cycle is to get a good education. We work in the school, that’s where our clients are…Our main goal is to make sure that all children in Union County grow up to be successful, contributing members of their community,” said Family Connection Coordinator Katy Jones.
The non-profit also creates positivity polls to inform students that their peers aren’t all drinking alcohol or using drugs. The number might be much smaller than they realize.
“In this time of such tremendous problems, nationwide with the opioid crisis, it’s nice to know that we have these non-profit organizations spending their time and effort in Union County,” stated Paris.
https://youtu.be/bnXjsKfLaO4
You Matter Conference teaches attendees how to better love themselves and others
Community, Lifestyle February 20, 2020
BLAIRSVILLE, Ga – A Change in Our World’s (Change) “You Matter Conference” sought to equip people in the North Georgia community with the tools to inspire self-confidence and spread that message to others.
At the heart of the matter, Change’s founder Rebecca Brendle wanted everyone to realize their importance in this life and that everyone matters. This belief echoed throughout her training and in Change’s motto: “You matter. Your Life is Important. Someone Needs You.”
“You matter because you mattered enough to God that he died for you. He came to give you a new life. He came to run off [depression, anxiety, or obesity.]” Brendle declared on stage at the Pat Haralson Civic Center.
As a “hope bringer,” she has helped many teenagers and adults find their hope for the future. Change began as an organization to prevent suicide in the North Georgia Mountains by building relationships, promoting wholeness, and strengthening others.
“[Suicide] is a lie that tells you your life is not important,” said Brendle, “90 percent of people who die by suicide told someone the week before that they were going to commit suicide. 90 percent told somebody!”
Rebecca Brendle, founder of A Change in Our World.
Brendle asserted that the biggest way to prevent suicide is to convince others that they matter, and a trained suicide counselor affirmed this by saying that potential victims need to see the value in tomorrow.
The suicide rate in Towns and Union County has been the highest in Georgia for 19 years. Union has the third-highest per capita, and Towns has the highest per capita.
“We live in a beautiful place, a gorgeous place, an intimate place. So why are suicide rates so high?” asked Brendle. “I believe it’s because people don’t like to socialize, so we need to get socializing. We need to find things to do outside of our comfort zones, [and] outside their homes.”
Change has hosted several events throughout the year to provide people the opportunity to mingle with others in the community, including weekly meetings for teenagers.
God didn’t design people to live alone, and Change has strived to break people out of their circles and pump them up. Once people go home, they live with their problems.
“The Holy Ghost is the most amazing helper, but He designs people to help you too. People’s lives depend on connection,” said Brendle. “The type of connection is just as important as the connection.”
Also, Bad relationships seriously affected people’s choices and habits. With assistance from the Devil, people hated themselves, wallowed in self-pity, and committed suicide, according to Brendle. She stood by this conviction because everyone matters and deserved to live their entire life. No one should cut it short. With Jesus, all their problems disappear.
“How do you deal with spirits? The same way Jesus did, say ‘shut up and leave.’ You get rid of grief and depression by using your authority through Jesus to bind it,” stated Brendle.
She stressed finding value in one’s life because how can someone value another life if they don’t value their own life. To help the audience identify their positive traits, they wrote down three personality descriptors, unique skills, and enjoyment bringers.
Together these areas should help individuals find their purpose in life. According to Brendle, God determined everyone’s traits and enjoyments before birth. People should use their uniqueness to grow as well as help others.
Adults should help children and teenagers understand how to harness their aspirations and amusements in order to guide their lives.
Attendees listened to Brendle explain why everyone matters.
God is love. 1 John 4:18 stated perfect love casts out fear. One must understand love to show love to others.
“We are inside-out people. We’re loved first so that we can love others,” declared Brendle.
Change has planned a Hiawassee edition of the “You Matter Conference” for March 21. For those considering suicide or looking to learn more about preventing suicide, call the national suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org.