Come To Me Campaign for National Suicide Prevention Month

Bill Savage, St. Joe’s Prep ’13 and Vanderbilt University ’17, has launched the second year of the Come To Me Campaign to raise awareness for suicide prevention.

Inspired by his former lacrosse teammate and best friend at St. Joe’s Prep, Joe Walsh, Savage created the Come To Me Campaign to illuminate the depth and breadth of the support network that college students have if they are anxious or depressed. Members of the school community were given orange bracelets with “Come To Me” on the outside and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on the inside. If a student was feeling alone or in distress, he or she could easily identify someone ready and willing to offer support. In its first year, Come To Me distributed over 7,000 wristbands on the Vanderbilt University campus, and inspired Come To Me programs at eight other universities, engaging nearly 25,000 students, faculty, and visiting parents.

This year, Come To Me Campaign has launched its own website and prepared a challenge in recognition of National Suicide Prevention Month (September 2017). Individuals and groups can order bracelets through September 15 and create an awareness campaign to distribute them on school campuses or through community organizations.