The Sarah Michelle Peterson Foundation

You can help stop suicide. Everyone needs to know how to recognize and respond to the signs that someone might have suicide as a part of their thinking.  Your donation supports educational programs for youth and adults throughout the community. Our resource tables inform, educate, and help stop the stigma around mental health. We participate in partnerships and coalitions that help make Hampton Roads a suicide-safer community.

Last year, we trained 2,102 people at 80 separate programs to recognize the warning signs of suicide and to respond with confidence to individuals who need support or care. With your donation, we can continue to break down stigma around mental health and teach lifesaving skills. More than 10,000 people had the opportunity to take free materials with information and crisis numbers at our resource tables which were found at 49 Hampton Roads events in 2024. 

We've partnered with local public and private schools, CHKD, EVMS, Jewish Family Services, Virginia Stage Company, Boys and Girls Clubs, Virginia Opera, Girl Scouts, Gear Recovery, and many more organizations to offer wide programming opportunities across Hampton Roads.  Education empowers youth and adults to recognize the warning signs of suicide and respond to individuals who need support. Your donation enables us to provide many of these community programs for free and ensures live-saving resources get to those who need them most. Join us in the fight against suicide!

Who We Are

The Sarah Michelle Peterson Foundation envisions a world without suicide. We provide educational programs for teens and adults at schools, colleges, churches, work places, community centers, and other locations. We participate in partnerships and coalitions that help build suicide-safer communities. We also offer resource tables that inform, educate, and help stop the stigma.