The NAN Project said it has raised $186,000 to continue and expand programs that promote mental health awareness and suicide prevention in schools and communities, including Swampscott.
Program origins and focus
The organization was launched in 2016 by Jake Cavanaugh and his mother, Ellen Dalton, after the death by suicide of Cavanaugh’s sister, Nancy, in 2012. Dalton has more than 30 years of experience in human services and mental health, the group said.
“The same level of trauma percentage wise impacts wealthy communities like Marblehead and Swampscott, as it does Lynn. The reasons that the kids feel a depression and suicide tendencies differ to some degree but they impact them to the same degree,” said Joel Abramson, a supporter and Swampscott resident.
The NAN Project uses a mix of peer-to-peer programs and professional development workshops aimed at helping students, counselors and parents recognize signs of deep depression and suicidal risk, the organization said. The group said its work is rooted in outreach to young people and training for adults who support them.
Context and public health data
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that suicide was the second leading cause of death in the United States in 2023 for people ages 10 to 34. Nationwide that year suicide was the eleventh leading cause of death, with more than 49,300 deaths, the CDC data show. The source cited by the NAN Project also noted that there were more than twice as many suicides as homicides in the United States in 2023.
What the funds will support
The NAN Project said the newly raised funds will be used to continue conversations about depression, anxiety and suicide in schools and communities. The organization described its activities as including:
- peer-to-peer mental health education in schools
- professional development workshops for counselors and staff
