The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) will hold its 37th Annual Lifesavers Gala on May 7 at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. The event will celebrate strides in suicide prevention and honor changemakers and researchers in the field.
The gala will honor five individuals and couples for their contributions to suicide prevention. Olympian Gracie Gold, a two-time U.S. national figure skating champion and 2014 Olympic bronze medalist, will receive the Public Service Lifesaver Award. After opening up publicly about her mental health experiences detailed in her 2024 memoir, Gold has become a passionate mental health advocate reminding athletes to prioritize mental health alongside physical fitness.
Media personality and co-host of NBC’s TODAY and The Voice, Carson Daly, will receive the Public Education Lifesaver Award. Daly has been open about his struggles with anxiety and panic since 2018 and has co-hosted AFSP’s and Audacy’s “I’m Listening” show, a mental health initiative sharing resources and raising awareness.
Phil and Donna Satow, founders of The JED Foundation, will receive the Humanitarian Lifesaver Award. After losing their son Jed to suicide in 1998 while he was away at college, they founded The JED Foundation in 2000, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting students’ and young adults’ mental health. Since its founding, the organization has helped schools implement mental health safety nets through academic programs and presentations.
Jane Pearson, Ph.D., Special Advisor to the Director for Suicide Research at the National Institute of Mental Health, will receive the Lifetime Research Award. Holly Wilcox, Ph.D., MA, a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, will receive the Annual Research Award.
All proceeds from the Lifesavers Gala support AFSP’s suicide prevention research, public education, and policy and advocacy efforts. The gala will be chaired by Peter Fang, Worldwide Vice President of Neuroscience at Johnson & Johnson. Major sponsors include Johnson & Johnson, Crowe LLP, The Columbia Lighthouse Project, NRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and The Ortus Foundation.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/annual-gala-celebrates-suicide-prevention-progress-honoring-changemakers-and-researchers-on-may-7-302739688.html