Oprah Network funds suicide prevention

Oprah’s Angel Saves Lives:  Jeremiah Simmons Leads Suicide Prevention on the Mescalero Apache Indian ReservationThe Oprah Network recently visited Jeremiah Simmons on the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation in south central New Mexico, where he serves as the program coordinator for the Suicide Prevention Team at Mescalero Apache High School. He is featured in a video posted May 24 on the Oprah Show website as part of the education tribute for Oprah’s Farewell TV series.

Back in 2000, Simmons received a $25,000 scholarship through Oprah’s Angel Network, awarded to the Boys and Girls Club Youth of the Year representative for New Mexico. “This scholarship was really my gateway to escaping the cycles of poverty, despair and hopelessness that tend to keep some of the young people down,” says Simmons, who is of Lakota and Navajo heritage, although he considers himself Mescalero, “because I grew up with their culture and traditions.”Comment:  For more on Native suicide, see Roger:  Let Indians Commit Suicide and Native Band Plays to Prevent Suicide.