Suicide prevention programs helped by Charity Challenge of Champions

The crowd of 250 gathered at Pinnacle Country Club on Friday night made a difference in the lives of people in all 75 counties across Arkansas by participating in the 23rd annual Charity Challenge of Champions that provides funding for the Arkansas Crisis Center.

“For 23 years now, the Charity Challenge has been ensuring that the Arkansas Crisis Center can continue restoring hope, empowering people and saving the lives of Arkansans in crisis,” said Katherine McKinley, development director for the Arkansas Crisis Center.

The event, held from Thursday (Sept. 18) to Monday (Sept. 22), included tennis matches with professional tennis players, a golf tournament and social events.  Tennis pros participating during the weekend included Cliff Drysdale, John Lloyd, Murphy Jensen, Luke Jensen, Ann Grossman, Mark Knowles, Ross Case, Bryce Cunningham, Tim Mayotte and Scott Colebourne.

On Friday evening, guests enjoyed a sponsor recognition party and program at the Pinnacle Country Club Clubhouse. During the program, the event’s main sponsors, Walmart/Sam’s Club and General Mills, were recognized, along with 38 other donating sponsors. The honorary chair for the Charity Challenge was Matt Kistler, senior vice president, Walmart U.S. customer insights – GCIA.

Ryan Harrington, director of sales for General Mills, spoke during the program and recognized the Arkansas Crisis Center volunteers, saying that they “nourish lives by restoring hope.”

Patti McGill, sponsorship chairman for the event, said that the Charity Challenge raised about $100,000 last year and they are hoping to go over that amount this year. During the past 22 years the event has raised $3,691,696 and the ultimate goal is to provide a $1 million trust that will support the Crisis Center.

The money raised will go to fund the crisis hotline, online chat program, educational materials and the Survivors of Suicide Support group (S.O.S.). In 2013, the hotline served 7,300 people and in the previous 9 months of this year it has taken 6,800 crisis calls. The projections are to serve 10,000 by the end of the year, McKinley said.

“It (the money raised) means that the Arkansas Crisis Center is able to continue helping people through access to our 24/7 Arkansas hotline.  It’s the only one of its kind in the state,” McKinley said. “The crisis hotline helps with things from homelessness to finding access to food, clothing and shelter; to people going through divorce; to people who are lonely. Drug issues, alcohol issues, depression and even just people who need to talk to someone. We are prepared for anything and everything,”

She said the hotline was recently upgraded and expanded at a cost of $25,000 and the money raised this weekend will go, in part, to pay for expansion and to train more volunteers to use the additional phone lines.

“What that means is our impact grows every day. We are able to reach more and more Arkansans in all 75 counties in the state that are experiencing crises. So training more volunteers is paramount. They are so needed. They are truly the lifeline,” McKinley said.

She also said the money will also be used for the new online crisis chat program which reaches a younger demographic.

McKinley said suicide prevention is an integral part of the work that the Crisis Center does. Arkansas ranks 17th in the country for suicide, meaning that, on average, 368 Arkansans take their own life each year. There are also a total of 2,057 suicide attempts in Arkansas each year.

“There is a wake created after suicide and that wake disrupts and disturbs families and loved ones left behind. The impact is not only emotional, but also financial,” she said. “With an average cost of $7,822 per case, this means that on average the cost to our Arkansas communities is $18.9 million,” McKinley said. “Combined with the emotional effects on survivors, you can see that the work of the Arkansas Crisis Center is vital to our fellow Arkansans, not only emotionally, but we also provide economic benefit to our communities through intervention before the act is committed.”

The evening also included a live auction which offered such items as a NASCAR VIP experience, a week’s stay for four in a Tuscan villa, an Antigua getaway and a Louisiana fishing excursion. John Lloyd, celebrity tennis pro, also donated a “once in a life-time experience” to the All England Lawn Tennis Club for the world’s premiere tennis event, Wimbledon.

Below is a video shown at Friday’s event.