On Wednesday, March 17th I had the opportunity through United Way of Greater STL’s ” St. Louis Cares” volunteer organization to assist in the efforts of the non-profit organization KUTO ( Kids Under Twenty One). KUTO is one of the nearly 200 organizations in  United Way of Greater STL’s database.

KUTO is a St. Louis based non-profit organization that works to prevent adolescent suicides and save lives. KUTO not only has a peer hotline staffed by teens, but makes presentations at schools in the area on topics including teen depression, adolescent suicide, and crisis intervention. In these presentations, they provide prevention materials such as flyers, posters, Helpline cards, and handouts. That’s where the volunteers of ” St. Louis Cares” come in!

” The Yellow Ribbon Project” happens once every two months. Other St. Louis Cares volunteers and I  helped out KUTO by attaching symbolic suicide prevention yellow ribbons to KUTO prevention materials to be distributed to local high schools.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15-24 year olds, and it follows unintentional injuries and homicides. KUTO has been  serving youth since 1987, and it is an outstanding organization! To learn more about KUTO’s phenomenal efforts and to find out how you can support them, visit:

www.kuto.org

Also, check out www.stl.unitedway.org to find out how you can become a part of the ” St. Louis Cares” a volunteer program that will connect you with short term volunteer opportunities. I’ve been a member of ” St. Louis Cares” for almost two years now, and it is an awesome organization

-Shelby