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Walk Across America Makes Use of Social Media to Raise Awareness and Promote Suicide Prevention

(Vocus) January 12, 2010 -- Still reeling from the suicide of a lifelong companion nearly 5 years ago, Lee Eric Drake Foundation board members announced plans to invite the online community along on the Foundation’s first awareness-raising event. Scheduled to begin on February 3rd, the goal of the 2,900 mile Walk Across America (http://walkacrossamerica.us.com) is threefold: To raise awareness of the Foundation and its mission; to meet people directly or indirectly affected by depression and/or suicide; and to extend a helping hand to others in need.

In an era when most people leverage the power of YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets to launch their careers, make friends and spread the latest gossip, the Foundation’s board is counting on the viral nature of social media to reach out about suicide awareness (http://www.leeericdrake.com) and perhaps, save lives.

Friends were stunned by the unexpected suicide of Lee Eric Drake, a 24-year-old Kentucky farm boy, Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity member, and graduate of Western Kentucky University. “Eric had everything going for him,” according to lifelong friend and Foundation member Kelly Bush (http://www.twitter.com/kellywbush). “He wrote upbeat poetry, was always there to help friends or strangers, and never gave us any outward sign that he was spiraling downward towards the depths of depression,” Mr. Bush added.

If a group as close to Eric as Foundation members were could miss the warning signs, anyone could. That’s why the effort to raise awareness via the Walk Across America is so important.

“A lot of people have walked across America but no one I know has documented the journey in real time. By making use of available technology, people will be able to see what's going on day-by-day and even minute-by-minute rather than hearing about my journey after I walk past their town,” Mr. Bush went on to say. “As I near their town, I hope people will come out to meet me and share their stories of how depression and suicide have affected their lives,” added Bush.

Mr. Bush will take the first of his many steps in Los Angeles and continue eastward until he reaches Times Square in New York City several months later. Along the way he’ll record his progress, his observations and his interactions, and post all of it online for the entire world to see.

Walk Across America is the first of several LED fund- and awareness-raising events taking place throughout 2010. The Foundation’s new Records for Awareness campaign include plans to increase attention to these events by associating each with an attempt to break a Guinness World Record.

As the Foundation launches each new event, they plan to partner with other charitable organizations that reach out to potential depression victims. The Foundation chose The Wounded Warrior Project as one of their partners for this event because returning veterans are at high risk for depression and suicide from post traumatic stress disorder as well as the complexities of returning to civilian life after being exposed to the stresses of war. Of the more than 33,000 suicides in this country each year, 20% of them are acts by veterans.

To learn more about Lee Eric Drake and the foundation created to carry on Eric’s legacy, visit www.LeeEricDrake.com.

About the Lee Eric Drake Foundation

Created as a way to honor the memory of a truly remarkable individual, the non-profit Lee Eric Drake Foundation’s focus is on raising awareness, and raising money for graduate scholarships designed to encourage post-graduate studies in the mental health field. In just the past year, generous donations have helped the Foundation award four scholarships.

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