I just heard the news that Marie Osmond’s son took his own life last night. Here is the report from E-Online:

Marie Osmond’s son, Michael Blosil, took his own life Friday night after leaping to his death from his Los Angeles apartment, E! News confirms.

The 18-year-old reportedly suffered from severe depression in recent years, leaving behind a note which detailed his plans to commit suicide. In it, Blosil explained his loneliness, stating that he felt as if he had no friends and simply did not fit in.

Read more: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b169268_marie_osmonds_son_commits_suicide.html#ixzz0gmStSINF

Owen, a student who attends the high school where I teach, shared this video on his Facebook group Small Acts of Kindness (SAK), which he started to give people a chance to share the little things that make the lives of others a bit better. He certainly did just that in sharing this video with me.

The video is about a man named Nick who has no arms or legs, and he has an amazing outlook on life that he shares with others through motivational workshops. Please take the five minutes or so to watch it. Let Nick share his story with you.

I’m always humbled by these stories and encouraged to appreciate my life in ways I never imagined. Nick reminds me that we must never give up, never quit, never stop trying to accomplish whatever goal we might have established. I think that’s what is so refreshing about the new year. If we’re able to give ourselves second chances and renewed opportunities just because the calendar year changed, why can’t we do that at any other time during the year?

I suggest we can, simply by remembering Nick and all that he teaches us in this brief video.

Enjoy this day, and Never Give Up. There’s always a reason to give the goal another try so that you may “finish strong.” as Nick puts it.

Dear Friends and Supporters of Lines of Love:

With the beginning of a new year, I wanted to take a moment and share with you some rather candid thoughts about Lines and the direction it will be heading in 2010.

First, I am extremely grateful to the many individuals who have helped Lines establish itself in 2009. Some of you supported us financially, and others helped with the various events we held. Still others have donated their ideas and energy in helping Lines become a permanent foundation to help teens struggling with depression and anxiety. Thank you, one and all. Lines of Love would never have been possible without you. Even more important, we would not have been able to reach out to the hundreds of teens who attended our events or the thousands who have joined us online.

In 2009, we raised over $2,000 in donations. We established a small but very popular merchandise line of tee shirts, lanyards, and journals. We held two college events, sponsored one high school varsity lacrosse game, established a Lines of Love club at Centennial High School, and promoted suicide prevention and awareness throughout the month of October at Centennial and encouraged other high schools in Howard County to raise awareness as well. In October, I was honored to serve on a panel discussion at Stevenson University about depression and suicide prevention. In November, author Larry Cohen published his book, I’m Still Trying To Figure It All Out Myself, and is donating $1 of every book purchased to Lines of Love. In early December, Lines of Love was part of a focus group in Howard County about raising awareness about depression, and we were fortunate to meet with Active Minds founder Alison Malmon and southern chapter coordinator Marc Peters about how Howard County Public Schools and Active Minds could work more closely together. Finally, we established an interim board to discuss the future of Lines of Love as a 501c3 nonprofit foundation.

Again–I am grateful for all of you who have contributed in some way to our work in 2009. Thank you.

Our work has just begun. In 2010, we will be working more aggressively in developing materials to offer direct support to teens struggling with depression and anxiety. We will be working closely with other national initiatives such as To Write Love On Her Arms and Help-Portrait to raise awareness and remove the stigma attached to depression. Our events will be lively, filled with words, music, and a strong message that every life matters.

This is just the beginning, though (and here’s the candid part). I spent much of the last part of 2009 reflecting on the possible directions that Lines might take. I talked with many of you about your opinions and ideas concerning the future of Lines of Love. And in the process of having those conversations, I learned a great deal about what I believe the mission of this foundation is all about.

I don’t want us to be limited to colleges or high schools. I want us OPEN TO ALL INDIVIDUALS and provide those opportunities in a variety of events that are not limited in any way by the rules or boundaries that govern school systems or universities. We will continue to work very closely with both institutions (and we will be addressing the needs of pre-teens, too), but the primary work of Lines will be larger than any existing system. 2010 is the year we make our mark as a stand-alone foundation to do everything we can to educate, inform, and inspire.

I encourage you to join us. We are eager to have new individuals join our team as we work together to raise awareness about depression and reach out to teens who are struggling. Contact me directly at linesoflove@gmail.com for more information about our upcoming events, to purchase merchandise, or to make a donation.

We look forward to spreading our Lines of Love to all teens in Maryland (and beyond) in 2010. Please join us in our mission.

Every Life Matters. Let’s make sure our teens know that.

Love to all, and may your 2010 be blessed with encouragement and inspiration.

Rus VanWestervelt, Founder

Lines of Love is currently offering all of its merchandise at 20% off for the holidays! Please download the form and mail or return to the Lines of Love Club at Centennial High School on or before December 18th.

lines merch 1209 flier

Rus VW will be at Stevenson University participating in the first Active Minds Panel Discussion on Mental Health on College Campuses. The panel will be held on Monday, October 5th from 2:00 – 3:00 PM in the Cuvilly Exchange on the Greenspring Campus of Stevenson University. Please stop by if you can.

Maryland’s 21st Annual Suicide Prevention Conference, “Inner Strength During Challenging Times,” will be held on Wednesday, October 7, 2009, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Martin’s West in Baltimore (6817 Dogwood Road, Baltimore, 21244; 410.944.9433).

The keynote speaker for the conference is Alison Malmon, founder and executive director of Active Minds. a student-run mental health organization on the college and high school campus. She started the program in 2001, while a junior at the University of Pennsylvania, following the suicide of her older brother, Brian, one year earlier. Wanting to combat the stigma that caused her brother to suffer in silence and ultimately take his own life, she created a group on her campus that promoted an open, enlightened dialogue around the issues. Just two years later, Ms. Malmon formed the organization to develop and support chapters of the student group on campuses around the country. She currently serves as President and Executive Director of the non-profit organization, creating a unified national voice for young adults, in the mental health awareness movement.

Conference cost is $90 and includes continental breakfast, keynote, your choice from 15 workshops (see listing below), lunch, and snacks.

Workshops include:

* Victim Precipitated Violence
* Veterans Initiative Update
* Fighting Depression During a Recession
* The Rippling Effect
* Practical Methods to Relieve Stress
* Update on Youth Suicide Prevention in Maryland
* Dialectical Behavior Therapy with Suicidal Adolescents
* Picking Yourself Up: How to win when it feels like you lost
* Crisis and Stress Management
* Domestic Violence During Times of Increased Stress
* Compassionate Responses
* Transgender Issues

For more information, contact Henry Westray, Jr. at 410.402.8494 or via Email: westrayh@dhmh.state.md.us.

Lines of Love plans on being there in some capacity. If you are interested in joining us, or if you are planning to attend, please contact Rus directly at linesoflove@gmail.com and let him know.

Please read today’s memorial post to Casey at rusvw.net/blog.

I cannot stress enough the need for us to reach out to our teens who are struggling with anxiety, depression, and addiction. We cannot wait for the nation to recognize that we’re already in a crisis that just continues to deepen with each passing day.

Love to all of you,

Rus

Greetings, everyone, and welcome to Lines of Love. I’m glad you stopped by.

I decided to create this blog to communicate with all of you more easily, and on a more consistent basis. I absolutely love the exposure and support we are getting on Facebook (if you haven’t joined the group yet, you can visit us here. We also have a page on Facebook where you can become a fan; please click here to visit that page). But not everybody is on Facebook. By establishing our blog, and then eventually our website, we will have more opportunities to communicate to all of you.

I want to thank Kendall Reck for the great Lines of Love Logo that graces the top of our blog, and Heather from Goofy Girl Designs who designed our blog and took care of all of the behind-the-scenes maintenance that I will never begin to understand. Finally, I thank Lenore Wilson for really being the backbone of our online presence. Lenore continues to stay focused on making sure that Lines provides the greatest online opportunities for our teens in need. I know that Lenore will be with Lines for many years to come, and I could not be more happy to have her on our team.

So what’s next? Well, in the next few days, I’ll be providing the history of Lines of Love so that everyone understands (and remembers) why we are here. Then, we’ll be providing links to interesting articles, helpful resources, upcoming events, and more.

I encourage you to subscribe to our feed and leave comments to our posts. Check back often; we’ll be posting new information on a very regular basis. Also, be sure to let people know about our blog, and join us by becoming a Line of Love to those in need.

Love to all,

Rus