WELCOME TO SOSAD
Sosad (Save our Sons and Daughters) is an organisation with five main goals:
• To raise awareness of suicide in Ireland.
• To break the taboo surrounding suicide.
• To provide support and direction to those feeling suicidal
• To provide support and direction to those approached by someone feeling suicidal
• To provide support and direction for those bereaved by suicide.
Please explore our website and contact us if you have any questions or would like to contribute. If you have come to this site in your darkest hour and are in need of help right now, then click on the "Help Yourself" button above. You can find us on mycharity.ie by clicking this link here.
LATEST NEWS + UPCOMING EVENTS
CHARITY POKER TOURNAMENT
A Texas Hold'em poker tournament will be held in Mc Hughs Drogheda on Friday the 12th February. Registration begins at 7.45pm with the competition starting at 7.30pm sharp. This is a €35 freezeout competition with a gauranteed €1000 in prize money. An extra 1000 early bird chips will be awarded for those who register before 7pm.
There will also be spot prizes on the night and all funds raised will go towards SOSAD Ireland. If you are feeling lucky or just want to enter for the laugh, please contact Darren at 087 754 2880 or just turn up for 6.45pm on February 12th in Mc Hughs in Drogheda.
Sosad Mass For 2010
Plans are already underway for this year’s mass, which will be celebrated again in the Augustinian Church on Sunday February 7th at 1.15pm.
As with past years, everyone will get the chance to place a lighted candle on the alter in memory of their loved ones and everyone is invited to place mementoes or photos of those they lost on the alter for the duration of the mass.
This mass is being organised by Fr. Iggy O’Donovan and Glenda McCole, music will be produced and performed by Gerry Simpson and man others. We hope that you can join us and please pass this information and date to anyone who you think may be interested.
Thanks for your help!
Counseling At Our New Offices
SOSAD has now opened its new offices and counselling rooms in Navan and now offer the full emergency call out service for the Meath area, backed up by free counselling for anyone affected by suicide. The 24 hour telephone number for Navan is 046 9031855.
In Drogheda we are based in 60 Trinity Street and our emergency number is 041 984 8754. We have a full range of supports and services available for anyone affected by suicide, all of which have no fees or charges.
Sosad Forum
SOSAD Ireland have launched a new forum on this website to increase the discussion on all aspects of suicide and to give visitors a chance to get their questions and queries about suicide answered. To launch this forum, a discussion on the recent RTE documentary series "I see a darkness" has been started and everyone is invited to add their comments and push for RTE to show the whole series again. There is also a poll on the question of RTE showing the 'I see a darkness' series again. As much as possible any questions directed towards SOSAD will be answered as quickly as possible and the results of the poll on the documentary series will be forwarded to RTE.
Click the button at the top of this page to view the forum.
Annual Mass for Victims of Suicide
Images from this event which took place in the Augustinian Church in Drogheda, can be viewed here.
Membership
SOSAD are inviting anyone who has or wants to support SOSAD to become a member of our organisation. Ther is no membership fee and members are invited to help us by giving us advice, suggestions or new ideas that will help us give help and support to anyone affected by suicide. Members will also be invited to our AGM and will receive quarterly newsletters bringing them up to date with everything that is going on in SOSAD Ireland.
For a membership form, just e-mail us in SOSAD and we will send you one as quickly as possible or we can post it out if you give us your address.
Patron of Sosad - Shane Horgan
Irish rugby international Shane Horgan, has gladly accepted a request from Sosad Ireland, to become its new patron.
"I want to thank Sosad for asking me to be its patron. There were 460 official deaths caused by suicide in Ireland last year - if this was caused by anything else, then more would be done about it." said Shane at a Sosad press conference.
"I think we have all been affected by suicide, including myself. As a young man, the demographic that I am in is heavily affected by suicide, so anything that I can do at all to highlight it will be a good thing."
"We should not be scared of the issue and not sweep it under the carpet. It is time for us to step out of the darkness and come in to the light."
Shane hopes that his patronage and involvement with Sosad will encourage those at risk, or needing help and support, to contact someone rather than trying to cope alone.
(Images of Shane used by kind permission of INPHO)
Our Offices
Our offices and counselling rooms are located at 60 Trinity St. Drogheda. These offices will be open during office hours and the counselling rooms are available anytime they are needed.
We now have a database or over 20 counsellors available at short notice to help and support anyone who may be effected by suicide in anyway. Please call into out office or contact us on 041 9848754.
National Office for Suicide Prevention and the Suicide Resource Office
SOSAD Ireland is very grateful to the National Office for Suicide Prevention and the Suicide Resource Officer in the North East for all their support, advice and guidance. Their details and some very useful links are below.
National Office For Suicide Prevention
Room 2.41
Dr. Steeven's Hospital,
Killmainham
Dublin 8
Phone: 01 635 2179
Fax: 01 635 2491
Email: info@nosp.ie
Main website:
www.nosp.ie
For general information on mental health:
www.yourmentalhealth.ie
For information on young peoples mental health
www.letsomeoneknow.ie
