White House honors The Trevor Project, GLSEN at "Champions of Change" ceremony

WASHINGTON, D.C.-
Last week, the Trevor Project and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network were honored at the White House as for being "Champions of Change" for their work in suicide prevention.
The White House Champions of Change initiative profiles Americans from all walks of life who are helping the country rise to the challenges of the 21st century. Suicide takes the lives of nearly 34,000 Americans every year. The White House's Champions of Change are working to lower that statistic, to combat bullying in schools and sports, to provide resources for communities, and to educate individuals and groups across the country. For more information, please visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/champions.
The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBT young people. In August 1998, James Lecesne, Peggy Rajski and Randy Stone, the creators of the Academy Award(R)-winning short film, "Trevor," founded The Trevor Project. Their film, a story about an LGBTQ teen who attempts suicide, was set to begin airing nationally on HBO, and the filmmakers wanted to include a number to a suicide lifeline for young people that might feel like the character "Trevor." Finding no such number existed, the filmmakers opened the Trevor Lifeline. Since that time, The Trevor Project has received hundreds of thousands of calls from young people in crisis.
In addition to operating the only national crisis lifeline for LGBTQ young people, the organization is the first to offer suicide prevention services nationally to youth in digital spaces, including counseling via instant message through TrevorChat, and the largest online social network specifically for young LGBTQ people, TrevorSpace. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services appointed The Trevor Project to a leadership role in the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, and the organization is a lead resource for the White House initiative, http://www.StopBullying.gov.
For more information about The Trevor Project and to get involved, visit http://www.TheTrevorProject.org.
The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network is the leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe schools for all students. Established in 1990, GLSEN envisions a world in which every child learns to respect and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. GLSEN seeks to develop school climates where difference is valued for the positive contribution it makes to creating a more vibrant and diverse community. For information on GLSEN's research, educational resources, public policy advocacy, student organizing programs and educator training initiatives, visit http://www.glsen.org.