Recently I became a volunteer of NCOA.
Native Cry Outreach Alliance is an organization made up of dedicated Native, as well as Non-Native, Americans to support a single and important cause. Native Cry is dedicated to suicide prevention awareness, helping survivors of suicide, and people who suffer a loss from suicide within the Native American community as well as other indigenous peoples around the world.
When my friend Rayna Madero / Executive Director of NCOA reached out to me, I was more than willing to help. I actually lost my best friend, Erin Colorado who is also Native American a few years back. She was more than a best friend she was like my sister. We became besties when we were seven years old. I am now twenty five. Erin and I actually shared lice together. We were also in a girl group together. We imitated the Spice Girls with a few other girls in our neighborhood. We had so much fun singing and dancing together. I miss her so much.
Before Erin passed away she reached out to me and expressed her depression. When she called me I was working two jobs and didn't have the time to talk because I was already late for work. I didn't understand how depressed she was. I ignored her. I never thought my friend would take her life a week later. I regret not paying more attention to her. I didn't know what the warning signs were. Now I do and you can too.
Together we can make a difference.
When you feel alone just know that others feel that way to.
Find those people. They need you like you need them.
If everyone that felt alone would just reach out to one another then we would no longer be alone.
REACH OUT!!!!
~ Gia ~
About Native Cry Outreach Alliance Inc.
Native Cry Outreach Alliance is an organization made up of dedicated
Native, as well as Non-Native, Americans to support a single and
important cause. Native Cry is dedicated to suicide prevention
awareness, helping survivors of suicide, and people who suffer a loss
from suicide within the Native American community as well as other
indigenous peoples around the world.
Native Cry Outreach Alliance continues to educate communities on the
stigmas that surround suicide and conversations of suicide by using
different types of multi-media, including but not limited to social
media, for promotion and education.
Rayna Madero, Co-Founder / President will help design and deploy
different media events and activities pertaining to indigenous
communities.
Native Cry was founded in Yuma, Arizona and initially served the
Quechan Indian Reservation. Although Native Cry does not provide
services directly such as counseling or hotlines, NCOA does work closely
with other organizations that provide these services.
Rayna Madero is a member of the Quechan tribe and she is also a
survivor of suicide as well as domestic violence. She saw a need for
learning positive coping skills after losing a close friend to treatable
health issues and a niece to suicide within two years of each other.
Rayna also has lost many more friends and family to violence, alcohol,
and drug abuse.
Most of the funding for NCOA will be from federal and state grants,
while some funding will be from generous donors, local businesses and
tribal organizations. NCOA is a family established, non-profit that will
be teaching and supporting positive family values, and each member and
volunteer will be taught beneficial reinforcement skills and adhere to a
family environment.
Sincerely,
Rayna Madero / Executive Director
