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in honor of Wes and 20,000 suicide loss survivors
Grief Journey

In Honor of Wes and 20,000 Survivors of Suicide Loss

Dear fellow survivors,

On July 5th, it will be three years since my beloved cousin Wes took his own life.

As I work on my grief journey and grow stronger, I reflect on how others in our suicide loss survivor community uplifted me, offered encouragement, and helped me make it through the day, one heartbeat at a time. The biggest gift that I was given was hope. 

Today, in honor of Wes, and the nearly 20,000 members of the Alliance of Hope forum, I want to pass that hope forward. I invite you to join me. Between today and June 20th, I will match all donations to the Alliance of Hope, dollar-for-dollar — up to $20,000.

My grief has softened with time, but it is still with me. I have learned I will carry it with me always, along with my love for Wes. 

Wes was 42 years old, a father of six. Handsome and talented, he would do anything for you. He was a bright and beautiful spirit. We all miss him terribly. As the oldest of 13 first cousins, I have great memories of us growing up together, having our own kids, and watching them grow up together as well.

In the first few days after he died, I didn’t know where to turn. I was in a fog. I tried to find resources for my aunt and other family members. I found a local agency that had support group meetings (Friends for Survival), but their next meeting was several days away. Their executive director, Marilyn Koenig, suggested I visit the Alliance of Hope. That was the lifeline I needed.  

Now, three years later, it’s time for me to continue my journey of healing and help others.

I am honored to volunteer my skills working with Alliance of Hope as their operations manager. And because I have seen firsthand how important their work is I am investing in the future of survivor services with a $20,000 Match Gift Challenge in honor of my cousin, Wesley Dalton Lincoln.

I know it would make Wes happy to know that I am giving back to others in his memory.

Please join me today in supporting the Alliance of Hope – a caring and compassionate organization that has helped me, and countless others, cope with and heal from traumatic and life-altering loss. Together we can move forward with hope, and help new survivors know they are not alone. Thank you for your support.