Thank you to the Woods Hole Foundation!

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!

CAPE COD LOSS TEAM (Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors)

  LOSS Team Volunteers:

• Meet with those bereaved by suicide in the immediate hours or days following a death to offer support and share community resources.
• Provide a compassionate presence that fosters hope and mitigates the effects of acute trauma.
• Are present with others to provide empathy, normalize grief, and offer hope.
• Are either loss survivors who have done their own grief work or caring individuals who have not experienced a loss to suicide but who have experience in support roles.
• Work with program staff to determine volunteer hours based on their availability.

Requirements:

• Driver’s license
• Background check
• Must be at least 18
• Proximity to Cape service area
• Initial interview and training

TO APPLY OR LEARN MORE, EMAIL MEBRISCOE@CAPESAMARITANS.ORG

LOSS Team Volunteer flyer

We are so excited to introduce two new members of our team — Mary-Elizabeth Briscoe, Grief Services Manager, and Cheryl Rossi, Crisis Services Manager. A little more about Mary-Elizabeth and Cheryl… Mary-Elizabeth Briscoe is a licensed clinical mental health counselor and certified advanced grief counseling specialist, with over 30 years’ experience working with people living through grief and loss. She is the founder and CEO of Integrated Grief Works, L.L.C. and the award-winning author of The First Signs of April, A Memoir. When not at work Mary-Elizabeth enjoys spending time photographing the beauty of the Cape with her best four legged friend Seamus. Mary-Elizabeth will be spearheading the development of the Cape Cod LOSS Team as well as managing our Safe Place and Care Package programs. Cheryl Rossi has spent most of her professional career working in the greater Washington D.C. area.  In 2017, after working for the Federal Government for over 20 years, her husband convinced her to take an early retirement and move to Cape Cod. Quickly learning that retirement was boring, she started embarking on the second chapter in her life.  Before joining Samaritans, Cheryl worked as a Volunteer Coordinator at Elder Services of Cape Cod and the Islands and volunteered for Meals-on-Wheels delivering meals once a week in Dennis.  For the past 5 years, she has also been volunteering at the Family Food Pantry in Harwich stocking shelves and bagging groceries.  In her free time, she enjoys reading, working out in the gym and playing with her 8 year old rescue hound dog, Jenny and her 11 year old rescue tabby cat, Daisy. Cheryl will be managing all things related to our Crisis Line/National Suicide Prevention Lifeline program. Welcome!

PRESS RELEASE

  The Cape Cod Foundation has awarded a total of $200,000 through its pilot Comprehensive Capacity Building Grant Program to five, local nonprofit organizations: Calmer Choice, Cotuit Center for the Arts, Cultural Center of Cape Cod, Independence House, and Samaritans on Cape Cod and the Islands. Each nonprofit will receive $10,000 for immediate general operating support and $30,000 for capacity building project implementation over the course of the innovative two-year program. “These nonprofit organizations impact all areas of community life and are at pivotal growth points. They are working to increase access and expand programs and services to meet community needs, especially in response to the pandemic,” said Kristin O’Malley, President and CEO of The Cape Cod Foundation. “This program is designed to help them assess their capacity building needs, and then plan and implement a pivotal project to address those needs.” O’Malley said the Foundation has partnered with industry expert TSNE Mission Works to conduct a capacity building assessment with each nonprofit and to provide the Foundation with technical assistance throughout program design and implementation. The program also includes a unique peer-learning cohort model to strengthen and leverage their individual and collective impact as they address issues affecting Cape Cod residents. The Executive Directors and Board Chairs from each nonprofit will meet regularly to build relationships, share knowledge, and facilitate collaboration. O’Malley said the entire program is iterative. The exact project each nonprofit undertakes will be based on the organizational assessment and developed by each grantee based on individual input and needs. “The Foundation’s goal is to deepen our partnerships with nonprofit organizations by matching substantial funding with other critical support to achieve greater outcomes,” O’Malley added. Thank you so much to The Cape Cod Foundation for investing in and believing in the work of our organization!   The Cape Cod Foundation is a community foundation whose mission is to build permanent charitable resources for community betterment through informed grantmaking and civic leadership. The Foundation has distributed over $90 million in grants and scholarships since its founding in 1989. www.capecodfoundation.org

We are so excited to receive accreditation from the International Council for Helpines. It was a rigorous application and documentation process but we did it!  Successfully completing the accreditation process ensures that Samaritans on Cape Cod and the Islands supports their community, funders and those served by our crisis lines with high-quality services, best practices and ethical standards.

We are so pleased to be chosen as a recipient of a Cape Cod Healthcare Community Benefits Strategic Grant in support of our Senior Outreach Program.  It’s wonderful to receive funding for the program and to know that Cape Cod Healthcare recognizes the important connection it provides.

Samaritans on Cape Cod and the Islands is proud to announce that on September 15th our center will begin a collaboration with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to assist in answering the large volume of calls the NSPL receives. Don’t worry! We’ll still be the same Samaritans you’ve always known with the same phone numbers and wonderful volunteers. But now we’ll be able to provide support to more people who are struggling with loneliness, mental health issues, and suicidality. Many thanks to our wonderful staff, volunteers, and countless others for working so tirelessly to make this a reality. Samaritans on Cape Cod and the Islands Crisis Lines: 508-548-8900 and 800-893-9900 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline : 800-273-TALK (8255)

Lots of new additions!