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Last week at the Winslow City Council meeting, representatives from The Levi Project, a suicide awareness organization, presented their mission statement to the council. The meeting happened to fall on World Suicide Prevention Day and Mayor Tom McCauley proclaimed Sept. 8-14 as Suicide Prevention Week in Winslow.
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Jessica Head began, “As many of you know, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. With each suicide, it is estimated 135 people are affected. In 2018, emergency services in Winslow responded to 68 calls for service related to suicide. On Sept. 18, 2018, Levi Cavin became one of those 68 calls for service that resulted in a successful attempt.”
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Head shared anecdotes about Levi Cavin, for whom the project is named. He was charming, funny, outgoing and kind, according to Head and others who mentioned them in their presentations.
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“Many were surprised to hear of his death,” Head continued, “saying that they didn’t see any signs. To those close to him, the signs were there and we knew, but didn’t have the capacity to help him. We tried to be there for him as friends and family and tried to get him help. We sought assistance from medical professionals.
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“With his suicide, we learned how much our city lacks in the ability to provide adequate mental health care and suicide prevention measures in time of crisis. This absolutely has to change. There needs to be more options for those who are struggling. Tonight, we make a stand. Tonight, we take the tragedy of Levi’s suicide and turn it in to a celebration of life and hoping that a change within our community can come about with The Levi Project.”
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Project founder, Chea Cavin spoke next. She relayed the story of the events leading to her brother’s death. “For 12 days, I showed up to his location and did my best to talk him down. I came to a point where I was so worried about him, I took him to work with me. I decided it was time for professional help, so I called the Winslow Police Department who showed up almost immediately. They escorted us to the hospital where Levi was admitted. The hospital (contacted) Change Point, who also showed up. They told us that Levi was free to go on a promise that he wouldn’t hurt himself and that he would follow up with the facility in three months. Within a few hours of being released, Levi was dead by suicide.”
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Cavin continued, “This project is the most important thing I have done and will continue to do until we see major change in our community. We as a community need real counselors, trained professionals. We need a place open 24 hours a day. We need to bring awareness to this issue and talk about it as a community.”
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Mayor Tom McCauley instructed city staff to put together an informational letter to be put in residential water bills on the subject of suicide. He also called for further training of first responders from dispatch operators to police officers.
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The Levi Project will hold a candle lit walk at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, beginning at the Winslow Chamber of Commerce, located at 523 W. Second St.
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