Dear Beacon of Hope Participant:

Thank you for becoming a major force for the Beacon of Hope 5K Run/Walk/Memory Walk to benefit I Need a Lighthouse. The 5K is scheduled for Sunday morning, May 20, 2012 at 24^th Street Park at the beautiful Virginia Beach oceanfront.

Each year in the United States, more than 30,000 lives are cut short by suicide.   That means that suicide ends one life every 17 minutes.  For every life lost, thousands more are affected by the loss of a child, parent, friend or co-worker. Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for young people (ages 10-24) in the United States.

By participating in the Beacon of Hope 5k & 1 Mile Memory Walk, you are not only making a difference, but you are also inspiring and challenging others to join you in the battle to help eradicate suicide and depression in your community.

You can take pride in knowing that all the dollars you raise will benefit individuals in Hampton Roads. Your contribution is necessary for I Need a Lighthouse to reach our goals:

• Expanding educational presentations about depression and suicide to high school students in Southern Hampton    Roads. Our goal is to help young people recognize the symptoms of depression and warning signs for suicide and reach out when they, or a friend, needs help
• Providing education and outreach to help adults recognize the symptoms of depression and the warning signs of teen suicide
• Working with partners to provide education to mental health, medical and educational professionals regarding teen depression and suicide.

This year we have streamlined our registration and fundraising process for our individual and team participants.  Click here to visit our fundraising page and set up your fundraising webpage.  You can spread the word about your fundraising goals easily through email, facebook and twitter.

Thank you for your support of I Need a Lighthouse!

Sincerely,

Kathleen Wakefield

Founder and Executive Director

I Need A Lighthouse, Inc.