BERLIN – The Jesse Klump Suicide Awareness and Prevention Program has seen its support group grow in recent years, but its upcoming event Nov. 19 aims to reach even more people, according to the Jesse Klump Memorial Fund Secretary and Treasurer Ron Pilling.
Less than a week before Thanksgiving, the memorial fund will host a movie viewing for the fourth year in a row to recognize International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day.
The organization is opening the doors of Zenna Wellness Studio in Berlin for a film entitled “Life Journeys: Reclaiming Life After Loss.”
The film, produced by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, will address the grief and healing process, something that Pilling said could isolate survivors.
“People who lost people to suicide are five to six times more likely to make an attempt on their own life,” he said. “[The event] will act as an extension of our support group. Group members will be there, but others will come in as well who don’t feel quite ready to go to a support group. The support group is where we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is working because we are constantly talking to each other.”
Memorial Fund President Kim Klump has worked with the Worcester County Health Department in recent years to host the Survivors of Suicide Support Group for those in the grieving process.
“After I lost my son Jesse to suicide, I felt so alone and helpless about his death,” Klump said in a statement. “But attending a support group allowed me to connect with others who had lost a person close to them, and made me realize I wasn’t alone – that others understood my grief. It was incredibly healing.”
Pilling said the support group has since grown from two or three people to more than eight.
“Unfortunately, the number of those in the support group has grown,” he said. “I would like to put us out of business tomorrow if we could.”
But instead of shutting its doors, the memorial fund has grown to be the largest grassroots suicide awareness and prevention organization on the lower Eastern Shore, according to Pilling.
Now the group is joining with survivors across the world as they partake in the viewing and post-film discussion.
This year, instead of an open discussion, the memorial fund will host a panel of three or four survivors to share their healing stories.
Following the discussion, the group will host a catered meal.
“ISOS Day is always the Saturday before Thanksgiving, so we recognize our gratitude for the life of the one we lost, as well as for the support and love we enjoy from others who have walked the same path,” Klump said. “We do so by sharing a catered Thanksgiving meal, and in order to plan the dinner we ask that people advise us that they are planning to come.”
Pilling said those interested in the event or the support group can call Kim Klump at 410-726-3090. The deadline to R.S.V.P. for the event is Nov. 16. The event will run from 1-5 p.m. Attendance is limited to those who have lost a loved one to suicide.
During this time, the memorial fund will also partner with local artist Jim Adcock to raise money for the organization. Five paintings of the Pocomoke River will go on sale Nov. 14 and will be on display at the Baked Dessert Café and Gallery in Berlin. For more information, call 443-982-2716.
The memorial fund, and subsequent awareness and prevention program, started after Snow Hill High School student Jesse Klump lost his life to suicide in 2009. Since then, the group has made it their mission to educate the community and end the threat of suicide.
“We save lives when we do this,” Pilling said.
Adcock has memorialized Jesse Klump and the river he loved in a series of five original paintings of the Pocomoke River. The sale of Adcock’s work supports the program, which works to reduce the historically high suicide rates that plague the lower Eastern Shore by teaching suicide prevention first aid – the ability to recognize the risk factors and warning signs that might lead someone to suicide, and the simple steps anyone can take to keep that person safe until trained professionals can intervene.
“Jesse would have recognized the scenes that Jim painted,” Klump said. “They capture the grandeur of the river, its beauty and serenity, and by his generous donation, Jim will help us preserve lives so that those who are in crisis will survive their distress and maybe come to enjoy the outdoors as Jesse did.”
Baked Dessert owner Robin Tomaselli said, “It’s an honor to hang Jim’s work. This is a cause of special interest to us, especially as we see the skyrocketing rates of suicide among our veterans. The Jesse Klump program has focused on addressing veterans’ needs with the goal of saving their lives.”
The Pocomoke paintings range in size from 11” x 14” to 20” x 30” and are priced from $275 to $475.