R 270

2017 -- H 6247 Enacted 05/24/2017

H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

CELEBRATING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SAMARITANS OF RHODE ISLAND

Introduced By: Representatives Mattiello, Shekarchi, Morgan, Barros, and Lancia

Date Introduced: May 24, 2017

WHEREAS, In 1953, a vicar in London named Chad Varah officiated at one of the

earliest funerals of his career. The deceased was a fourteen-year-old girl who had started

menstruation, but because she had no one to talk with about her condition, she mistakenly

believed she had a sexually transmitted disease and sadly took her own life; and

WHEREAS, Chad Varah was so immensely moved by this senseless loss of life that he

dedicated himself to raising awareness of suicide prevention and to creating a global network of

independent organizations and people, trained in befriending, better known as nonjudgmental

listening, who would answer calls about anything including thoughts of suicide; and

WHEREAS, In 1977, a group of dedicated volunteers in Providence came together to

form The Samaritans of Rhode Island, in the compassionate desire to address the unmet needs of

the hopeless, alone and suicidal in our state; and

WHEREAS, Since that year, more than 1,573 devoted volunteers have answered the

phone for more than 550,000 callers to the agency's Crisis Hotline/Listening Line; and

WHEREAS, In 1981, the agency recognized the growing needs of those left behind by

suicide and created Safe Place, the state's only free, continually operating bereavement support

group established exclusively for adults who have experienced death of a family member or

friend by suicide; and

WHEREAS, In 1986, after a cluster of teen suicides impacted our state, legislation was

enacted mandating the Rhode Island Department of Education to partner with The Samaritans in

order to raise awareness of the need to offer teen suicide prevention education; and

WHEREAS, In 2004, recognizing the role that the Internet and social media could play in

raising awareness of suicide prevention education, The Samaritans, in conjunction with

community volunteers, created the agency's first website, and from 2004 through 2016, more than

519,826 visitors from more than 100 countries, have sought information; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby recognizes The Samaritans as the agency of choice for Rhode

Islanders to turn to as the gateway to care. We moreover celebrate The Samaritans on the

occasion of its 40th Anniversary and wishes it continued success in offering its programs and

services in hopes suicide should never be an option; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Meredith Hampton, President of The

Samaritans of Rhode Island.

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LC002765

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