SUICIDE PREVENTION ORGANIZATION PARTNERS WITH TEXAS HS COACHES ASSOCIATION

The Jason Foundation and The Texas High School Coaches Association join together

(San Marcos, TX - May, 2012) The Texas High School Coaches Association (THSCA) is joining with The Jason Foundation, Inc. (JFI), a national leader in youth suicide awareness and prevention programs, for an affiliation targeted to address the "Silent Epidemic" of youth suicide which is the 3rd leading cause of death for youth ages 10-24. One of the first projects between the two will be providing an online training library on suicide awareness and prevention for all of THSCA’s 20,000+ members.

"The good news is 13 out of 14 of our Texas students did not attempt suicide", D.W. Rutledge, Executive Director of THSCA stated, "but ONE is too many and that is why we want to work with The Jason Foundation and our membership to help prevent youth suicide by raising awareness and equipping our membership with the information, tools, and resources to help identify and assist at-risk youth."

In Texas, according to the 2009 CDC Youth Risk Behavioral Survey, almost 1 out of every 7 students responded that they had "seriously considered suicide in the past twelve months". This same survey reports that 1 out of 14 students reported attempting suicide within the past twelve months.

"We are excited about working with THSCA in providing materials that will provide information, tools and resources to their membership in raising awareness and helping to build prevention skills," stated Clark Flatt, President/CEO of The Jason Foundation, "our affiliation fits perfectly with THSCA’s theme of ‘Helping Coaches to Help Kids’ and our current work with the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) as our National Awareness Affiliate."

About the Affiliates:

The Texas High School Coaches Association (THSCA) is the principal advocate and leadership organization for the Texas high school coaches and recognized as one of the largest associations in the nation for athletic coaches. THSCA provides the highest quality representation, education, and services to Texas high school coaches and affiliate members, and enhances the professionalism of coaches and the schools they represent. The mission statement is simply this: To help and serve our Texas high school coaches as they work to help and serve our student athletes. "HELPING COACHES TO HELP KIDS." More information on THSCA, http://www.thsca.com

The Jason Foundation, Inc. (JFI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting "The Silent Epidemic" of youth suicide through educational programs for young people, educators, parents, and other community groups. JFI, headquartered in Hendersonville, Tenn., was founded in 1997 after the tragic death of Jason Flatt, the 16-year-old son of Clark Flatt. Currently, there are over 85 JFI affiliate offices across the country. For more information, please visit JFI’s website, http://www.jasonfoundation.com