»¨½·Ö±²¥

2 p.m. Nov. 12 | De Paul Library

(Leavenworth, Kan.)— The »¨½·Ö±²¥ presents Lindsey Doolittle, USM class of 2005, and "Above the Rug," a talk looking at the importance of suicide prevention and mental health awareness, at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, in the Active Learning Center in De Paul Library on the »¨½·Ö±²¥ main campus in Leavenworth, 4100 S. 4th St.

Doolittle will also be signing her book, "Goodnight Mr. Vincent Van Gogh," a children's story on suicide loss that has been featured on "Nichols at Night," "Kansas City Live," and "NBC Action News," and is now on permanent display at the Vincent van Gogh Library in the Netherlands. 

Doolittle is an elementary art teacher, author, mental health advocate, and a suicide prevention activist in Kansas City. Doolittle was personally impacted by suicide with the death of her husband in 2015.

Deb Shaddy, USM's campus counselor, notes that Doolittle's topic is a key one--and that suicide often stays out of the public eye.

"Suicide is one of the leading causes of death for large segments of the population," Shaddy said. "There are many aspects of these tragedies. Lives are lost and the lives of those left behind are forever altered. Breaking through the secrecy and shame that too often surround the topic of depression and suicide offers an opportunity for hope and for healing."

Doolittle's talk is free and open to the public. For more information on Doolittle, please visit  

 

The »¨½·Ö±²¥ is a Catholic co-educational applied liberal arts university founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth. The University of »¨½·Ö±²¥ main campus is located at 4100 South 4th Street, Leavenworth, Kan. USM's Overland Park Campus at 4500 College Boulevard offers evening, accelerated graduate and undergraduate degree-completion programs. The university also offers online programs. Visit www.stmary.edu for more information.