More people in the Gem State are calling to help themselves or a loved one. The Idaho Suicide Hotline is seeing more calls and they need more volunteers.
"We're helping more people, hopefully saving more lives," Said Idaho Suicide Hotline director John Reusser.
Reusser says they've seen 500 additional calls this year compared to last and they're expecting over a thousand more before the year ends. They believe this increase is due to more people knowing help is just a phone call away and they're always willing to listen.
"We have some familiar callers who will check in with us on a daily biases. And we sort or re-assess their safety and see how they're doing," explained Reusser.
With more calls coming in, officials say they need more volunteers. Lishawna Pereyra has been a volunteer for 2 years. She says she does it so the thing that happened to her won't happen to somebody else.
"Unfortunately, there wasn't a phone for me when I was 15 when my when I lost my father. So for me to be on the other end of the line for some else is huge," explained Pereyra.
Currently, the Idaho Suicide Prevention hotline has around 60 volunteers. It's their goal to get 100.
"It's a really satisfying volunteer opportunity, "It's challenging but nobody has ever left feeling like it wasn't a fulfilling experience for them," said Reusser.
to sign up, click here. training starts September 24th.
