For Immediate Release

ARIEL TWETO SPEAKS OUT FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION, JOINS ADVOCACY GROUP

November 21, 2014, Thunder Bay, ON – The Collateral Damage Project, a Canadian registered charity that works to prevent suicide, hit a high note this week with the announcement that Ariel Tweto has joined the organization’s Advisory Group.

Ariel Tweto, Advisor for the Collateral Damage Project

“I am so excited to team up with the Collateral Damage Project (aka, Left Behind by Suicide Inc.) to help bring awareness to suicide prevention” says Ariel Tweto. “Through sharing my personal stories, my goal is to spread the message that life is worth living and can be totally awesome if you want it to be!”  “The Collateral Damage Project is very inspiring and gives me great hope that we can prevent suicide and support those who have lost loved ones and friends.” “I am extremely honored to join their mission and to have Popping Bubbles be a part of a new movement.”says Tweto. “When I met Scott Chisholm, who created the Collateral Damage Project, he enlightened me. He said my mission, along with his, shouldn’t just be about suicide prevention, it should also be to show people that life is worth living. I love that! His words clicked and made so much sense to me.”

Ariel was born and raised in Unalakeet Alaska, a community of 633 people on the western shoreline. In 2011, Ariel and her family starred in Discovery Channel’s Flying Wild Alaska. She is now continuing her acting career in California and is a frequent guest on The Late Late Show with Crain Ferguson. Ariel knows far too well the impact of suicide on youth, especially in the Far North and she takes every opportunity to create dialogue, break stigma and give hope. Ariel is a true role model.

“My community and many communities across Nunavut and Alaska have some of the highest suicide rates on the planet and I want to change that.” Scott Chisholm, Collateral Damage Project founder, originally planned for the Project to serve as a coffee table-style book depicting stories and photos of those left behind by a loved one’s suicide, now includes advocacy work in creating a proactive dialogue on suicide through curriculum, policy and legislation. The idea blossomed in 2009 with a story and is now an international organization crating real change.

Ariel Tweto, Advisor for the Collateral Damage Project

Other Advisory Team members for the Collateral Damage Project include; Alex Baumann (New Zealand), Susan Aglukark (Canada), Russ Courtnall, (USA), Dr. Lisa Kitt (Canada), Jeremy Taggart (Canada) and others who have been personally affected by suicide. Together we share a passion for healing and suicide prevention.

About the Collateral Damage Project

Founded by Scott Chisholm, the Collateral Damage Project works to prevent suicide by stomping stigma, creating proactive dialogue and pushing for gatekeeper training. With open communication at its heart, the project will include a touring gallery exhibition and book (both depicting portraits of those “left behind” by a loved one’s suicide),  a number of annual fundraising events and local, national and international speaking appearances by Chisholm and members of the advisory team, some of Canada’s most respected and recognized musicians, athletes and doctors. In 2012, the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health honoured Chisholm with a prestigious Champions of Mental Health Award. For more information, visit www.leftbehindbysuicide.org.

For more information about the Collateral Damage Project or to get involved, visit www.leftbehindbysuicide.org, call 1-888-835-9041.

 -30-

Media Contacts;
Scott Chisholm, Founder of the Collateral Damage Project
1-807-474-7565
scott@leftbehindbysuicide.org

Ariel Tweto
infopoppingbubbles@gmail.com