CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Mental health and suicide awareness advocate to give presentation April 19

The North Platte Telegraph - 3/23/2018

KEARNEY - About 2,000 people have died after jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge. Less than 40 have survived the 220-foot fall.

Kevin Hines is one of those survivors.

In 2000, Hines leapt off the bridge at age 19. The fall broke his body, he says, but not his spirit.

"'Are you okay? Is something wrong? Can I help you?' Those were the words I desperately wanted to hear right before I catapulted myself over the rail," Hines said.

Hines, the author of "Cracked Not Broken: Surviving and Thriving After a Suicide Attempt," will share his story and how he learned to live with mental illness at 7 p.m.April 6 at Kearney's Merryman Performing Arts Center, 225 W. 22nd St.

His presentation, "A Night of Hope, Healing and Wellness," is free, but a ticket is required to attend. Tickets can be reserved online at eventbrite.com by searching Hines.

The event is hosted by Central Nebraska LOSS Team, McKenna's Rae of Hope Foundation, Buffalo County Suicide Prevention Coalition and Region III Behavioral Health Services.

Hines is a suicide prevention and mental health advocate, author and documentary filmmaker who tells his story of an unlikely survival and his strong will to live. His story was featured in the 2006 critically acclaimed film "The Bridge," and he produced the recently released documentary "Suicide: The Ripple Effect."

Hines has been featured in Time magazine, The New York Times, Vanity Fair and Newsweek. His long list of television appearances includes ABC's "Good Morning America," NBC's "The Today Show" and programs on CNN, FOX and several international media outlets.

In 2016, Mental Health America awarded Hines The Clifford W. Beers Award for his efforts to improve the lives of and attitudes of people with mental illnesses. He also was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Council of Behavioral Health.

He sits on boards of the International Bipolar Foundation, Bridge Rail Foundation, Mental Health Association of San Francisco and the Survivors Committee of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.