Blog

March 2024

March 4th, 2024

A note from Chelsea Bourn, Brian Dagle Foundation Program Coordinator: It’s been such a pleasure getting to know the Brian Dagle Foundation community since I started as Program Coordinator at the beginning of December. From my first week at the Jingle Bell 5k, it was evident how compassionate and welcoming everyone is and how impactful and important the services here are to the shoreline community and beyond. Though grief and loss are a new scope of practice for me professionally, I…

Continue Reading

February 2024

February 2nd, 2024

I had the chance to attend a conference in January titled with Dr. Alan Wolfelt from the Center for Loss and Life Transition. The conference, “Living with Meaning and Purpose,” was created by Dr Wolfelt to help people maximize their natural gifts and strengths. The conference covered: For me, it reaffirmed that I’m doing the work I should be doing. Brian’s Healing Hearts heals the hearts of so many, but it also provides healing for me.  Trust me, it’s taken me…

Continue Reading

Suicide prevention month has been a blur…

October 10th, 2023

We shared Brian and our story all over New England. We taught QPR and did tables and pop up at schools and Patriot’s Place. We had middle schoolers paint inspiring messages on rocks for our healing garden and walked with many of you at the AFSP Out of the Darkness Walk. We are hosting more support groups than ever before and we finished construction on our new space: The Cottage. But we’re not done. We have so many exciting things…

Continue Reading

Suicide Prevention Month 2023

September 6th, 2023

Since 2008, September has been dedicated to Suicide Prevention Month.  It’s been 15 years but there is still so much awareness needed about this topic. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s (AFSP) latest campaign “Talk Away the Dark” is a touching discussion between a daughter and father surrounding the stigma of mental health and suicide.  AFSP believes there are many reasons why people shy away from this discussion, a common one being, “We might worry that saying the wrong thing…

Continue Reading

So much to be thankful for…

August 1st, 2023

August is usually a quiet time at Healing Hearts, but this year it has been as busy as any other month. We are gearing up for Suicide Prevention & Awareness month in September, our Annual Golf Tournament in October, and our 10th Annual Niantic Jingle Bell 5k in December! We are also pleased to be offering a Community QPR Suicide Prevention with the Town of East Lyme and East Lyme Youth Services on Tuesday, August 15th at the Community Center.…

Continue Reading

The Impact of LAX2LIVE is for kids like Brian

July 6th, 2023

This spring, we were honored to be notified by the Connecticut Sports Media Alliance that our LAX2LIVE program was being awarded the Bob Casey Courage Award. It was humbling to be acknowledged for the work we do. We do it for the student athletes who need to know it’s okay to ask for help. And we do it for Brian. A few weeks ago, the Patriots Foundation awarded us $25,000 for the work LAX2LIVE does and I am still at…

Continue Reading

2023: The Most Successful LAX2LIVE Season to Date

June 2nd, 2023

Our LAX2LIVE Program was started to communicate the importance of mental health for high school lacrosse players. This year’s program reached record high numbers of student athletes, students, family members, and friends. LAX2LIVE focuses on the importance of one’s mental health, the need to reach out for help if you or someone you know is struggling, and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – a resource that can save the life of someone who is in crisis. Participating lacrosse players…

Continue Reading