Caribbean Volunteer Services, Inc. has launched Speak Life VI — Your Lifeline of Encouragement, a text-based service delivering short messages of hope, encouragement, and resources directly to Virgin Islanders. The nonprofit introduced the service Monday and will expand next month to include multiple weekly messages in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole, a press release announced.
“Our goal is simple: be a steady voice for a stronger us,” said Laurie Christian, founder of Caribbean Volunteer Services and former Teen Line Program Director. “Back in 2010, while directing the Teen Hotline at Lutheran Social Services, I connected with Dr. Aletha Baumann and the UVI Psychology Club to co-sponsor the very first Survivors of Suicide Loss Day in the Virgin Islands. That partnership helped root the event in our community. Speak Life VI is the next step in that same commitment — making sure every resident has access to encouragement, connection, and hope.”
The text service is also part of CVS’s preparations for the 2025 International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day, set for Saturday, Nov. 22, at Frederiksted Beach. The event will feature a sunset candlelighting ceremony to honor lives lost to suicide, followed by a community gathering with dinner and drinks available for purchase. A guest speaker will be announced in the coming weeks, according to the press release.
CVS has a long history of hosting the observance, adapting during the COVID-19 pandemic by moving the event online to ensure accessibility. Last year’s program, themed “Sunset Waves of Reflection, Resilience, and Renewal,” featured licensed psychologist Dr. Sophia Joseph Parrilla, who delivered a message of healing that resonated deeply with attendees, the press release stated.
Residents can opt in to Speak Life VI by texting LIFE to 877-717-1540. More information is available on the Caribbean Volunteer Services Facebook page.