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Commends Two Cool Dudes Event

I want to commend Lawrence and Anthony, hosts of the “Two Cool Dudes”podcast; Kathy Gaskin, who leads WellSpan’s Behavioral Health Task Force; and the Weary Performing Arts group, for an excellent program on mental wellness that they presented together at Gettysburg High School last night. All who braved the cold to attend were well rewarded! “When the Sun Goes Down, Find Your Light” was the title of the event. Starting at 6:15 p.m., mental health groups joined in sharing info at our tables, as well as in seeing the excellent program from 7 to 9 pm. Our group, Gettysburg for Gun Sense, has a strong mental health component because of the fact that gun suicide is the majority of gun violence in Adams County, as well as in PA and in the US as a whole. In 2024 Adams County suffered the loss of 16 people to suicide, of whom 10 were gun suicide victims. Given the seriousness of this and other mental health tragedies, the last thing I expected on walking out of this event was to feel uplifted. Yet that was the result of the remarkable presentations we were blessed to learn from.

The audience’s enthusiastic reaction to the Hope Squad, Gettysburg High School teens and their sponsor who go out of their way to encourage at risk students suffering from depression, especially showed how inspiring they were. These young people have taken the trouble to learn suicide prevention techniques through the four-hour QPR Suicide Prevention training that some of us in GGS have also taken. (The upcoming WellSpan training on Feb. 5th will start at 8:30 a.m. in the Gettysburg Hospital Community Room, with registration available at 717-337-4137.) Hope Squad students are serious about helping all those who need help, and it is impossible to hear them speak about giving this help without gaining hope. The presenters from every group were inspiring. Each took situations of challenge and even tragedy in their lives as calls to action. Those presenting had worked to become as transparent as possible to all who can use the lessons they have learned. They succeeded in giving the audience essential keys for our own mental wellness, and for helping others. Amid these interviews, Lawrence and Anthony also gave excellent mental health thoughts, such as a description of a conversation between the two of them, that showed the calm helpful support of true friendship.

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I just finished reading the sobering article “The Anti-Social Century: Inside America’s Epidemic of Solitude,” by the Atlantic’s Derek Thompson. Mr. Thompson, along with many others, alerts us to the problem of retreating from each other behind our smart phones and TV sets. So last night I was especially intrigued to see, with the help of vignettes by the Weary Performing Arts Group, both the uplifting power of reaching out to others, face to face, and tragedies that can result when we don’t. For me, the work of leaving a warm house to drive through the cold to attend something was initially begrudging. Yet our group found it heartening to gather together for the purpose of communicating and helping others. Thanks again to all presenters and organizers of last night’s program! Let’s keep it up. Gratefully, Judy Young, Gettysburg for Gun Sense

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Judy Young is a retired United Methodist pastor. She convenes Gettysburg for
Gun Sense and the Adams County branch of the PA Prison Society, and is a
member of the Green Gettysburg Book Club.

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