2024 Ray of Hope Annual Conference

2024 Ray of Hope Annual Suicide Awareness & Prevention Conference

"Finding Purpose; Inspiring Hope"

The Conference will include Keynote Kristie Knights. Kristie, a psychotherapist, has spent her 25+ year career caring for and walking alongside the most vulnerable in their darkest moments.

She is an eloquent motivational speaker who inspires others through her own personal story and her years of dedicated experience.

Kristie is also a best-selling author, a professional speaker, and founder/CEO of iRise — a 501(c)3 non-profit that aims to eradicate suicide in communities through various trainings and services surrounding suicide prevention and awareness.

Finally, Kristie is a native of Pittsburgh with two children, Madalyn is 23 and Kamron is 22.

Malory Spring, founder of Live 4 Tomorrow Today, will share her personal story of loss, resilience and hope and will tell us about her non-profit, Live 4 Tomorrow Today. The mission of Live 4 Tomorrow Today (L.4.T.T.) is specifically to educate, support, and bring awareness to recovery, suicide & overdose. The non-profit’s vision is to help people find hope through finding recovery and raising awareness, while extinguishing the stigma that has been associated with suicide, overdose & recovery. Their programs help individuals obtain the treatment they may be searching for, or not realize that they need. They also work to provide grieving families with financial support for individuals who have lost their hope. Live 4 Tomorrow Today provides education, prevention programs, intervention programs, and public events focused on extinguishing the stigma.

A Suicide Loss Survivor Panel - A Suicide Loss Survivor Panel is made up of suicide loss survivors who have lost their loved one to suicide. People who have lost their loved

one to suicide often feel stigmatized by society and suffer a greater feeling

of loss than any other kind of death. This kind of death is frequently

complicated by difficult to process emotions such as guilt, shame, anger,

and perhaps even relief. Following this kind of loss, relationships with other

family members and friends are often strained and the survivor's own

mental health may be diminished.

The panel will be sharing their intimate thoughts and experiences of their

losses, the harsh realities of losing a loved one to suicide, and how they

have used their pain for purpose. The panel will be answering a series of

pre-selected questions. It will then be opened up to the audience to ask

questions (time permitting). Please join us for this discussion as we

acknowledge and normalize the challenges of losing a loved one to suicide

and give a listening ear to the courageous panelists that will share their story.

Resource Tables will be sharing information on local human service organizations.

Conference Agenda

8 :00 - 9:00 Registration & Continental Breakfast

9 :00 - 9:15 Welcome

9 :15 - 10:15 Kristie Knights, Keynote

1 0:15 - 10:30 Break

1 0:30 - 11:30 Malory Spring

1 1:30 - 12:30 LUNCH

1 2:30 - 1:45 Loss Survivor Panel

1:45- 2:00 Break

2:00 - 2:45 Hope Boxes

2 :45 - 3:00 Closing

By registering, you are agreeing to the following Waiver: I hereby waive and release any and all claims for damages or injury I may have against the sponsors and officials of the Ray of Hope Suicide Awareness and Prevention Task Force and its members, for my participation in said event of November 22, 2024 and for any and all injuries suffered. I also attest that I am physically fit and able to participate in this event, and acknowledge that photos of the event will be taken for non-promotional purposes.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Westmoreland County Community College, 145 Pavilion Lane, Youngwood, United States