James Donaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of depression and suicidal thoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
HUNTSVILLE Ala. — More than 280 north Alabama school health professionals came together to discuss the issues impacting students Friday. Things like school safety, bullying, adolescent substance abuse, mental health, and suicide.
For the third year school health professionals, like counselors, nurses, social workers, school resource officers came together to learn about evidence and research-based approaches to make students safer.
“In the 1970s you wouldn’t see this conference. You wouldn’t see police officers and mental health sitting down together, looking forward together,” said Michael Dorn, the Executive Director of Safe Havens International.
Dorn said schools are safer than in the past. But he found there are some safety practices that are doing more harm than good.
“A lot of the current active shooter training programs are actually causing deaths and serious injuries,” he said. “When we test them with real-life, real-time scenarios, people with those type of training programs, many of them, not all, they perform worse than people with no training at all. They have delayed reaction times, they do things to make the situation worse. They’re very popular, they sound great, but they don’t work very well and they are causing death.”
Dorn said one thing that is proven to work is thoughtful student supervision. It helps saves lives in violent situations, bullying, natural disasters, and suicides.
“I think that in the past suicide has been such a taboo subject, it’s been something we haven’t wanted to talk about. Through SPEAK, we’re hoping to give those kids a voice and give them the right things to say so that they know the right things to do to prevent that death, that is so preventable,” said Anna Manning, the SPEAK Coordinator with the Huntsville Hospital Foundation
The school health professionals will learn about proven steps to help keep students safe. Manning said one thing anyone can do is get the SPEAK app.
“It has a list on your phone where you check off warning signs you might be seeing in a loved one. And then it gives you a direct response of what to say, what not to say, what to do immediately, phone numbers to call,” she said,
She said one of the most important things for young people to know is that if they talk about it, they can heal.
The executive director of Safe Havens International said that while it may not seem like it, schools in the United States are the safest in the world. And conferences like the one today will continue to make them safer.
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
