Fundraiser to help prevent child suicides

“Unimaginable. Unthinkable. Unfathomable.

“There are no words to describe the loss of a child. And when that child is a well-loved, energetic and a seemingly happy 11-year old girl, it is devastating to learn that her death was a suicide. AnnMarie Blaha [of Orland Park] was a loving and caring, bright and beautiful young girl who had a passion for helping others. She died tragically on June 10, 2013.

“While we are powerless to change the past, we can begin healing through service to others. AnnMarie’s passion for helping others came naturally to her. Her parents have spent their lives serving others. Susan Blaha, a registered nurse, and Mike Blaha [Orland Hills] deputy chief of police, were the role models who cultivated AnnMarie’s caring soul.”

These are the statements from the AnnMarie Foundation.

A representative for the AnnMarie Foundation, established in 2014, and Orland Hills Police Det. John McHale all too often have comforted grieving families after suicide. On the police force for 20 years (eight currently in Orland Hills, where he met Mike Blaha) McHale shared the goals of the foundation, “the family wants to bring to the forefront this important topic, and not have any others suffer in silence or alone. Nothing is as deafening as the sound of a victim suffering in silence. Find resources, seek help, and intervene when necessary.”

The AnnMarie Foundation’s next steps were to propose legislation, in an effort to get the issue attention in the schools and for educators to recognize developments and perhaps intervene when necessary. Their work went on to challenge lawmakers to enact legislation providing training and education regarding youth suicide prevention in the schools. Senate Bill 1793, Public Act PA099-0443 was sponsored by state Sen. Michael E. Hastings (D-Tinley Park), and, on August 21, 2015 became law, titled AnnMarie’s Law. The family has fought a long battle getting this bill passed. You can read the full text of the act here: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=099-0443

Locally, Orland School District 135 has been the first district to implement the mandates of AnnMarie’s Law. Our school board adopted the policy immediately after legislation was passed.

“We moved on in our school district and formulated a plan,” Supt. Janet Stutz stated.

She described the efforts already in place: “Every teacher has to receive training on youth suicide prevention. We are using the Global Compliance Network – which is a module on youth suicide prevention.”

When teachers complete training, they are issued a certificate. Stutz proudly read her completion certificate to me, verifying that she had completed the training.

Another resource, Erika’s Lighthouse (www.erikaslighthouse.org.), a teen depression training facility in Winnetka, has provided free resources for School District 135 to implement. Social and emotional standards are guided by state – “we are piggybacking on some of those resources. Once everyone is trained – we can roll everything out,” Stutz said.

Stutz added, “Our teachers are pretty sensitive to these issues, and the training only helps them to recognize some issues. These are preventative steps we are implementing in an effort to bring awareness. The goal of this legislation is to create awareness to ensure that signs and issues can be proactively addressed.”

If you or someone you love is struggling with depression or suicidal ideation, choose life, and seek help immediately. For help, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-TALK (8255).

A fundraiser to support the AnnMarie Foundation will be 4:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Thursday at Panera Bread Bakery Café, 15252 LaGrange Road.