Dave’s 2015 Holiday Letter
Dave’s November 2015 Giving Tuesday message
Dave’s CrowdRise Fundraising bio for the 2016 Boston Marathon team (also pasted below)
Dave’s Samaritan Profile for the 2016 Boston Marathon team (also pasted below)
CrowdRise Bio:
Welcome to my fundraising page! I’m honored to be running the 2016 Boston Marathon on the Samaritan’s team in memory of my sister. Please join me in remembering Katherine and honoring anyone else lost to suicide, by supporting Samaritan’s lifesaving, free services, by donating whatever you can towards my goal of AT LEAST $10,000 right away.
I lost my only sister, Katherine, at the age of 37, to suicide, on March 26, 2012. Devastating. Life-changing. We didn’t see it coming, but hindsight is a slippery slope. My sister was an amazing person that lived with Crohn’s Disease, and kept her daily battles with depression and anxiety masked from so many of us. I would do anything to get her back. But I can’t. What I CAN do is live my life proudly in her honor and make it my mission to share my story, give others hope, and see the beauty in today. I am a better person because of my sister, and she continues to teach me so much.
I am running to save lives. I’m running to create awareness to suicide. I’m running to fight stigma and the labeling associated with suicide and mental illness. I’m running because YOU matter. I humbly ask for your help, support, and encouragement.
My official goal is to raise $10,000 for Samaritans. I hope I far exceed that. This money will help Samaritans continue to provide life saving services focused on community education, suicide prevention, and survivor support. My dream is to get $1 from 10,000 people whose lives I touch. I humbly ask you to be one of those people and to share this message with all those around you. Please help me support this worthy cause. I’d love comments on my blog pages, please share or like them on Facebook and elsewhere, follow me, and send me an email at dcthmpsnep@gmail.com with support. We’re all in this crazy life together. Thank you.
My father was in the Air Force for more than 20 years, I was a firefighter for 10 years, and I was part of a local Critical Incident Stress Management team supporting law enforcement, firefighters, and paramedics. I also run in honor and support of all of these groups due to their increased risk levels for suicide and mental illness.
Every dollar raised goes directly to Samaritans’ lifesaving programs. For more information, please visit www.samaritanshope.org. You can also make a donation by check by mailing it to: 41 West Street, 4th Floor, Boston MA 02111. Please be sure to include “Dave Thompson” in the memo line.
Visit my blog to see my training updates (to emphasize the struggles other face on a daily basis, I pledge to run all of my training miles outside in Minnesota which may lead to some fun pictures) and to read more of my thoughts on suicide, mental illness, dreaming, and living life for today: www.dreamydream.com.
Samaritans’ Profile:
Dave currently lives in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, but New England always holds a special place in his heart. Dave moved every three years in his childhood as an Air Force brat, but attended 7th – 12th grades in Nashua, New Hampshire, and he still has lots of family in New England. On March 26, 2012, Dave lost his only sister, Katherine, to suicide. She lived with Crohn’s Disease and, has become more clear in hindsight, bravely battled depression and anxiety for many years. It was a shocking, life-changing tragedy that has given Dave increased focus on helping others every day going forward. He went to Purdue University (where he met his wife, Beth); worked out of Chicago for many years, traveling as a management consultant for KPMG Peat Marwick; and has now worked for Pearson VUE in Minnesota managing software teams for the past 16 years. Dave was a firefighter for the city of Eden Prairie for 10 years, and he has three amazing children. He finished his first marathon last year, and he will be forever grateful to run as part of the Samaritan’s team so that he can spread messages of suicide education and awareness, hope, and living life for today.
