My Heart Smiled: Finding Passion and Purpose Through My Own Lived Experience

The holidays are a time of giving, and we depend on your support to continue our important work. In recognition of Giving Tuesday, which this year takes place on December 1, as well as this season of caring for others, we’re sharing stories that remind us of the impact of our efforts. Please consider making a gift to AFSP today. 

In the summer of 2023, I met someone who had previously participated in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Out of the Darkness Bronx Community Walk here in New York City. Despite having my own lived experience of a suicide attempt and distress, I had never heard of AFSP. But after some conversation and research, I knew I wanted to be a part of AFSP’s mission: to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide. 

I partnered with that person and we hit the ground running: we created our own Walk team and fundraised. That first Walk was such a life-affirming, empowering event. For me, as someone who has struggled, the gathering created a safe space of understanding, healing and love. I’ve now participated in four AFSP Bronx Community Walks, and they get bigger and more impactful each year. 

In 2024, I began a new phase of learning more about AFSP. I attended presentations and learned things that I actively applied to my own life. My own lived experience dates back to 2009, but at times I still struggle in this journey. 

I submitted my application to AFSP to become an official volunteer and found there were many ways to show up. I was already on the Bronx Walk Committee, but education, and the sharing of resources, feels like a core part of my purpose, especially in relation to my community as a Bronx resident and as an African American woman. 

The first AFSP education program I officially presented was L.E.T.S. Save Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention for Black and African American Communities, in September 2024. The African American community is experiencing increasing suicide rates, especially with our youth. I identify personally with the information provided. Being able to hear and identify with many different scenarios and stigmas that still plague our community reminds me there is purpose and hope for each of us. I want to be able to show up and let our people –– all people –– know that they matter, and that they are not alone. I’ve had numerous conversations in my community where the guidance and information in the presentation has truly helped in the moment. Since then, I have presented L.E.T.S. Save Lives five times, with as many as 695 people on one virtual presentation in September 2025. 

L.E.T.S. Save Lives isn’t the only AFSP education program I’ve presented. In the summer of 2025, I was a co-presenter of AFSP’s flagship education program, Talk Saves Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention, for four different libraries in the Bronx. You can feel the impact. This past August, I was tabling for AFSP at a church. As I was greeting people and speaking with the pastor, a woman approached us and loudly called out, “You came to my library last year!” She then turned to the pastor and said, “She’s really good. I got a lot of good information.” My heart smiled, knowing the education and programs we deliver matter.

Each presentation, each time we gather, I know the true human impact it leaves.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve in my community with such an impactful and mindful organization. My lived experience occurred 17 years ago, but AFSP allows me to help and heal in the present. I am a person of passion and purpose, and I’m grateful for the experiences I’ve had through AFSP, from the Out of the Darkness Walks, to the quiet moments during a presentation when someone catches your eye or drops a message in a virtual chat to let you know they identify personally with what’s being said. I’m proud to say I joined AFSP’s New York City board of directors this past year.

I realize there are people experiencing their own struggles daily who, like myself once, may not yet know about this organization that sees us and whose mission is about us. 

AFSP gives me, and others, a chance to live and have hope. I’m so grateful for that. 

Rachel’s story reminds us that showing up for one another can change lives. By turning her own experiences into a source of hope for others, she’s helping build a community where more people feel seen and less alone. This Giving Tuesday and holiday season, your generosity helps AFSP support volunteers like Rachel as they bring lifesaving education and hope to communities across the country. Please consider making a gift to AFSP today.