Our group formed because there was a need for families in the area who had lost a loved member of their family, or a friend, to suicide. There was a need for grieving members of the community to join together in support, and to be able to share their stories, and the lives of the people they had lost.

Shining Hope WA meet every second Thursday evening, to support those who have been affected by a suicide loss. We chat, we cry, we remember, we drink coffee and eat donuts. But mostly we are just there to listen to the grief, the loss, and the hope of each individual who attends.

When we are not meeting for support, we are planning meals for families, and hoping to offer general home assistance to families who are in the midst of their grief. And while we are passionate about helping the grieving members of our community, we actually do not want more bereaved members.

So, we are on a mission to bring the topic of suicide to the forefront. We want people to talk about it. We don’t want the stigma of suicide to be so prevalent. And so we will join in painting trees blue. We will run in fun runs. We will hold events to show the world we don’t want to lose another soul to suicide. And while we are doing all that, we will be persistently working to bring suicide awareness and prevention training to every person in Western Australia.