Wells Fargo donates to suicide hotline effort

Wells Fargo has come forward as an early lead funder in establishing the Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline with a gift of $22,000.

United Way of Kootenai County issued a press release Tuesday announcing the donation.

"While we are working on a larger prevention plan for our community, there's no doubt that a hotline will save lives," says Caryl Johnston, United Way's executive director."This is a great first step in the work we need to do to address this issue."

Volunteer advocates, along with public and private sector partners throughout Idaho, including other local United Ways, have been working to establish a sustainable statewide hotline since the previous hotline closed in 2007.

The suicide rate in Idaho is the fourth highest in the nation. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults in Idaho.

Idaho is the only state in the country without a nationally certified suicide prevention hotline.

"Wells Fargo is pleased to invest in this important community initiative to address a critical need in our state," said Leise Razzeto, Northern Idaho Community Banking President for Wells Fargo. "We hope our gift will encourage other similar investments from across the state to make the Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline a reality."

For more information about the efforts to establish the Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline, or to learn how to help, contact Chris Tilden, executive director, Idaho Mountain States Group, at (208) 336-5533.