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Local CrossFit Gym Pays Tribute to Suicide Prevention During Pandemic

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“Fight to Flourish” competition amongst athletes and teen participants will be held January 16, 2021

 

December 14, 2020 — Jacksonville, FL — CrossFit Salt de Terre, a female owned and operated CrossFit gym located just outside Riverside, in the up and coming Railyard District, will be hosting its first annual “Fight to Flourish” competition on January 16, 2021. This competition aims to build awareness about teen suicide by honoring the memory of Cora Schryver, a 13 year old CrossFitter from Ojai, CA, who took her life in 2018. To register for this event click here.

Proceeds from “Fight to Flourish” will benefit the Youth Crisis Center of Jacksonville, FL, in an effort to upgrade the facility’s recreation center. The mission of the Youth Crisis Center is to build a healthier community by empowering young people and families to rise above adversity. CrossFit Salt de Terre aims to give back to the Jacksonville community inside and outside the gym. Members are invited to participate in quarterly give back events for a variety of causes.

Maintaining one’s mental health during this pandemic has been difficult for all ages and suicide rates among adults and teens have gone up during this time. The community at CrossFit Salt de Terre believes in continuing the conversation surrounding this topic in the hopes of saving lives, especially the lives of our youth.

 “The team at CrossFit Salt de Terre prides itself in its involvement within the Jacksonville community. We are passionate about health and wellness, physically and mentally, as the two are interchangeable. Our hope is that this event will rally both the CrossFit community, as well as the Jacksonville community to honor those whose lives have been affected by teen suicide, while providing a healthy outlet to engage the public,” said Amy Saltmarsh, owner and head coach of CrossFit Salt de Terre.

All “Fight to Flourish” workouts will be partner style and appropriate for adults and teens of all ages and abilities. Teams can compete in an Adult Only or an Adult + Teen division. Participants will compete in a series of five workouts over the course of the day, and top performers will earn a spot on the podium!

Tickets are $40 per team which includes participation in the competition and a t-shirt.

Sponsorship opportunities are available and appreciated.

For more information about the first annual “Fight to Flourish” competition and CrossFit Salt de Terre, please email Amy Saltmarsh, Owner, at hello@saltdeterre.com.

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About CrossFit Salt de Terre:

The foundation of any CrossFit gym starts with the people and is built on community. At CrossFit Salt de Terre, a supportive group of coaches and peers will help you along your journey to becoming faster and stronger. We will be there to celebrate your triumphs and help you through your setbacks. CrossFit Salt de Terre aims to give back to the Jacksonville community inside and outside the gym. Members are invited to participate in quarterly give back events for a variety of causes. To start your journey, visit https://saltdeterre.com/.

Youth Crisis Center opens emergency shelter for young adults, House of Hope

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Jacksonville, FL., December 8, 2020 –  There is now another option for young adults in Northeast Florida in search of a place to live in the middle of a crisis. After three years of planning, the Youth Crisis Center is pleased to announce the opening of the House of Hope. The House of Hope will serve as an emergency shelter for young adults 18-24, including those who belong to the LGBTQIA+ community. The House of Hope is expected to provide short-term services for about 125 young adults a year for 30 days. This program was made possible due to the partnership with Changing Homelessness, JASMYN, and the amazing help of donors and volunteers at the Youth Crisis Center.

During their stay, staff will help residents with the following:

– Life skills training                           – Connection for stable and permanent housing

– Mental health counseling          – Academic monitoring and support

– Access to medical care                – Career development training

The House of Hope includes nine rooms hosting one bed each, a full kitchen, dining hall, private counseling room, life skills training space, sanctuary garden, and a communal gathering space. Each room of the House of Hope is furnished and decorated all thanks to the help of our wonderful donors.

“The House of Hope is needed in this community because statistically the national average of homelessness is 40% as it pertains to the LGBTQ community.”

Kim Sirdevan, the President and CEO of the Youth Crisis Center says rate of homelessness is much higher in Jacksonville. Sirdevan feels the House of Hope can serve as the safe space for the young adults to go to that will offer free services and housing, but an opportunity for them to further their skills for leading to self-sufficiency. The House of Hope is based on being gender neutral, emergency crisis care and with the specific services targeted at homeless young adults. That model is based on the programs YCC already offers on campus like the Residential Crisis Care Program which serves minors and the long-term housing program called Touchstone Village surviving 18-21 year olds. After examining what YCC already offers, it was determined what our community was lacking was the emergency shelter capacity serving the homeless young adults.

About Youth Crisis Center

Founded in 1974 as Florida’s first runaway program, the Youth Crisis Center’s emphasis on care is for those who have been exposed to traumatic situations such as divorce, homelessness, relocation, bullying, loss of life, and abuse. YCC provides a variety of services such as short-term residential crisis care, outpatient therapy, skills-based groups for children and their parents, and transitional living programming for young adults.  For more information visit http://www.youthcrisiscenter.org/. 

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