No More Lonely Youth

We all have stories, And our stories matter. Today I’d like you to hear my Only7Seconds story because we need your help. Our organization is on a mission to end loneliness for youth through intentional, meaningful connection. And we are doing it. We are making an impact, we are so close to turning a corner on sustainability through grants and product sales, but right now, we are a fledgling startup who needs an influx of money. And in order to tug at your purse strings, I’m going to share my story about Only7Seconds and encourage my team to do the same. 

In May of 2019, Only7Seconds was an idea. We were living in Redmond and COVID was not yet a thing. 

Thatcher had not yet graduated from Redmond and Zac would show up and help at Mason’s baseball games. My mom and dad would come up for visits and I was blissfully, well, okay, that’s a stretch, I was working as a principal in Northshore. We had some struggles but were making it work one day at a time through family dinners, younglife events and lots of baseball. 

Meanwhile, east of the mountains, Only7Seconds was noticing disconnection and Kristin started to have conversations about exactly how long it takes to make sure someone knows they matter. To send a quick text to make sure that someone doesn’t feel alone–just seven seconds. Yard signs, bracelets, hope notes, SHARE Day (Spread hope and remember everyone). 

Meanwhile, Thatcher graduates, goes to ASU and while I’m sitting in the board room at Northshore, I hear whispers, it starts with the high school principals, the coaching types and I hear suicide, football, Redmond. I look down at my phone and I have dozens of text messages. I take a minute and discover that my Zac, my sweet, sweet fourth grader who was now a high schooler had died. I was devastated and yet I knew my feelings were not what mattered. I was their teacher, I had to do something for the kids. 

I lined up with the other parents in our neighborhood and help up signs as the school day ended that said, you matter and we smiled and waved to the kids as they left school that entire week. My former students would park their cars and get out and hug me. The day after I took a vacation day and hosted the kids who just wanted to hang out and talk. I went to the football game and held hands with his mom. I did what I could to make sure they knew they were not alone, but it was too late. We had lost Zac. 

The hardest part for me was calling Thatcher in Arizona to let him know about it. Our boys have always had a lot of empathy and I knew it was going to hurt. It did.

And then the storm came. Losing Uncle Bill, COVID, Thatcher’s freshman year ending early, my dad getting sick and ultimately dying. It was a living hell for us. And we did what we always did, we came together, we talked, we hugged, we told stories. And we pieced ourselves back together.

The world was different for us, we still had baseball, secret speakeasy baseball and lots of time east of the mountains. I saw signs that year that said Because You Matter and I loved them. I wondered about them. And then my friend, Amber, posted a picture of her son in a Because You Matter shirt and then I had to know–what was this? 

Amber told me about this organization Only7Seconds and the youth suicides in the greater Chelan area and I knew I had found my people. I emailed and reached out through the website ultimately connecting with Luke in July of 2021. During our conversation, I knew I had found a friend for life. And a place for my energy. Luke invited me to a working retreat the following week and I drove to Pateros, Washington and spent the day creating what would become the Connection Curriculum. 

And then we moved to Arizona.

For the last three years, I have given my heart to Only7Seconds. We have added to the team and Kristin our original founder, has taken a step back to work on new projects. We’ve been generously supported and stewared by an amazing board. We have refined our approach and we have developed a kickass strategic plan. We have metrics and work plans, we have staff meetings and a Scientific Advisory Board. We have refined the Connection Curriculum and are about to record our third season of storytellers. I’m personally working on a modification for the curriculum to be used with coaches and families. Our initial data shows that it works–kids feel less lonely and more connected. 

And, we need help. We need your dollars and your connections. We need you to get ready to do the biggest SHARE day yet on May 7, our 5 year anniversary, and we need you to knock on doors of schools that need an assembly, a teacher training or the entire curriculum. We need your introductions and your advocacy. We have training that you can do to feel like you know the curriculum better. We have samples and marketing tools. Just hit me up and I’ll get you set up to go into the world as an advocate to end loneliness.

And most importantly right now, we need investment. To pay our staff and to invest in these new programs takes money and we need 1 giant angel donor to give us a million dollars, or we need a million of you to give us one dollar. It takes money to write grants, to visit with schools, to build partnerships and programs and we humbly ask, if you have ever thought to donate, do it today. Do it as part of our 5 year anniversary celebration. 

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Over the last 5 years, we have heard story after story from youth experiencing anxiety, bullying, depression, eating disorders, and suicide. Loneliness is at the root of most of these stories. Youth are more lonely than ever and we're committed to doing something about it. From May 2-June 15th, we are activating participation, crowdfunding for our future, and amplifying your stories. It’s time for a connection revolution.

1. Activate: Help the campaign reach as many people as possible!! Share on your social feeds and check out the action guide: www.only7seconds.com/nmly.

2. Donate & Fundraise: Support the campaign's goal of raising $100,000. Every dollar counts. Organize your own fundraising efforts to contribute to the campaign's success. We're looking for 100 people to raise $250 each. Will you be one of them? Click the "I want to fundraise for this" button at the top right of this campaign page to set up your campaign!

3. Share Your Story: Share your experiences with loneliness to help others feel less alone. Will you share your story with us? www.only7seconds.com/nmly/#share