"He won't stop raping me. He told me not to tell anyone." This text, sent a few years ago to an employee at the altruistic nonprofit DoSomething.org, was the harrowing impetus behind a new initiative that could help countless youth in need.
Upon receiving this and other alarming follow-up messages, Stephanie Shih, the DoSomething.org employee who received the text, turned to her CEO Nancy Lublin. Soon, the two were planning what would become the Crisis Text Line—the first and only national, 24/7 crisis-intervention hotline to conduct its conversations (most of which are with teenagers) exclusively via text.
By allowing teens to ask for help using the medium they know best, the Text Line aims to curb some harrowing stats—like the fact that suicide is the third-leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 10 and 24.
Already, it seems on its way to making a significant impact; according to The New Yorker, it fields an average of 15,000 texts a day.
For those in need—like the teen who sent that fateful text years ago—the service could be more than helpful. It could be life-saving.
Want to support the cause? Click here. And read the powerful New Yorker profile here.
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