Just popping in to your in-box to share some of the news and updates from SOS.

Sadly, I firstly want to acknowledge the passing of John Pender, husband of our founder and CEO Caroline McGuigan, and a beautiful friend and colleague to all of us at SOS. We were all shocked by the news of his sudden and tragic death and the loss of his huge presence leaves an immense void in our lives. We have been greatly comforted by the overwhelming outpouring of compassion and comfort from thousands of people from across the globe, which is a clear reminder of the impact that John has made and will continue to make on the lives of those he came in contact with. We extend our love and support to Caroline, Conor and Amy and the extended family, as they seek to come to terms with this devastating news. Ar dheis De go raibh a ainm.

John’s passion was always that SOS would impact the way our nation and indeed how the world views the whole subject of mental health. He would often say “If not us, then who? If not now, then when? “

So in this newsletter you’ll have a chance to see the impact our innovative and unique programmes are making on the lives of our participants, you’ll hear testimonials from our corporate partners, you’ll hear of a number of ways you can join us in fun filled, fund raising opportunities and you can celebrate with us as we acknowledge all the efforts of our team, that led to us being acknowledged by IBEC at a recent awards ceremony at the Mansion House in Dublin.

Together we can do this. So on behalf of SOS can I say a huge thank you for your continued support. We remain focused on and passionate about our mission to make mental health and wellness and integral part of ordinary every day life.

Enjoy your summer, celebrate life, cherish friendship and be kind to yourself and others.

As you know we have been beavering away in the mental health arena for over 15 years now. We have been at the forefront of advocating for better services, for more widespread support and for easier to access information. We have collaborated with likeminded individuals and organisations with a view to developing effective educational and experiential programmes to empower individuals to manage their own wellness.

Click here to see the video testimonials from our Corporate Partners

You will know that our Wellness Workshops have been impacting communities across the country and indeed since we created the experience online it’s impact has spread across the globe. We were inundated with requests from corporate bodies to bring the programmes to the working environment but we resisted the easy “one hit wonder” route in favour of developing a more measured and structured culture changing approach. 

Our Workplace Wellness offering is now in full swing. It’s impact has been so encouraging we are delighted with the feedback from CEOs , HR professionals and indeed team members across the business spectrum, so much so that we are delighted to announce the addition of four new modules to our learning suite. These modules deal with handling anxiety, dealing with depression, generating self-acceptance, and goal setting and planning. Follow the link below to see which next step works best for your team.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION 

– Caroline McGuigan

– Robert Carley

On Saturday 14th of September to mark World Suicide Prevention Day we will be holding the inaugural 32 county “six and mixed “soccer pallooza. What’s that you might well ask? Well it’s a mixed six-a-side soccer contest. It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be fun and it’s going to be fun need I say more. By entering a team your organisation will be contributing to the work SOS do and so you’ll be playing a part in shattering the stigma surrounding mental health. It will also be an incredible chance to network with other groups that are on their journey of discovery in the world of wellness . We are amazed at the response so far and team slots are moving fast. So if you want to see your team line out to play against stigma, contact our festival director Anthony and book in a team (or two) Anthony@suicideorsurvive.ie

Before I go I just have to share this piece of wonderful news with you. As you know SOS has been at the forefront of creating market leading and robustly evaluated programmes in the mental health space. We have worked tirelessly and passionately to ensure that they are fit for purpose and effective for the end user. We have over the years been encouraged by the cheers and encouraging feedback from people such as yourself and have continued to work away quietly improving existing programmes and devising new ones. So imagine our excitement when IBEC announced at a recent wellness in the workplace awards ceremony that they were honouring our work in the arena of workplace wellness by announcing us a winners of the ” outstanding contribution to wellbeing IN THE WORKPLACE” . So we blushed a little , and then we just could not wait to tell our friends like you that this award reflects on all of us for working together to tackle the problem of mental health and suicide. So honestly we share the applause with you.
So I have lots more to tell you but your five minute break is up and I’ve got to let you get back to work . If you want to catch up on our other news don’t forget to follow us on our social media channels.

So till I see you at the lunch or tackle you on the pitch.

Mind yourself.

You mean the world to us.