Caltrain Sponsors BraveMaker Film Festival to Promote Suicide Prevention

 

Caltrain is proudly sponsoring this week’s BraveMaker screening of The Edge of Success at The Fox Theatre in Downtown Redwood City on Thursday, September 12. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the event begins at 7 p.m.

The documentary film examines two clusters of high school student suicides that occurred in Palo Alto over the last decade, some of which tragically took place on Caltrain tracks. Like the film, this event seeks to raise awareness about this important issue and offer hope and resources to the community.

The event will include a post-screening panel, featuring the filmmakers Kathryn Basiji and Liza Meak, a mental health professional from StarVista, two local students and a parent as well as Caltrain’s Chief Communications Officer, Seamus Murphy.

“While we are first and foremost a public transit agency, we are also committed to working with the communities we serve to help prevent suicides and address underlying causes for these tragedies,” said Murphy. “Through partnerships like this, we hope to help reduce the stigma around mental health, amplify the message that help is available and refer those in crisis to local public health agencies for the support they need.”

The Caltrain Board of Directors this month proclaimed September as both Rail Safety and Suicide Prevention Month in collaboration with San Mateo County Behavioral Health & Recovery Services.

“We couldn’t ask for a better partner to promote mental health and suicide prevention awareness,” said BraveMaker Founder, Tony Gapastione. “We all need to work together to make our community safer for everyone, especially those most vulnerable and in need of emotional support.”

Tickets for the event are can be purchased through Eventbrite. In addition, Caltrain is doing an online giveaway of five pairs of tickets through social media. Staff will also be on site providing rail safety information.

Caltrain reminds the public if someone is ever facing a mental health crisis or considering suicide, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available at 1-800-273-8255 to provide 24/7, free and confidential support.

For more information, visit www.caltrain.com/SuicidePrevention.

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About Caltrain: Owned and operated by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, Caltrain provides commuter rail service from San Francisco to San Jose, with limited commute service to Gilroy. While the Joint Powers Board assumed operating responsibilities for the service in 1992, the railroad celebrated 150 years of continuous passenger service in 2014. Planning for the next 150 years of Peninsula rail service, Caltrain is on pace to electrify the corridor, reduce diesel emissions by 97 percent by 2040 and add more service to more stations.


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