The Suicide Prevention International fundraiser at Frankie & Fanucci’s Wood Oven Pizzeria is going great today! Congrats to 18 year old Christie Civetta, who is leading this “mission of hope” and is beyond inspiring! News12 Westchester stopped by F&F today and is currently running a great story on Christie on its evening news program!
Westchester Teen Turns Family Tragedy into Mission of Hope
“Walk For Life” Fundraiser Being Hosted at Frankie & Fanucci’s Wood Oven Pizzeria on March 20
Eighteen year old Christie Civetta is very wise beyond her young age. During her freshman year at Scarsdale High School, Christie’s step-father died by suicide two days after Christmas in 2006. The tragedy forced her to grow up fast, and it also brought an important “Mission of Hope” to her own life.
Unfortunately, every 16 minutes someone has died by suicide, and every 17 minutes someone else needs to deal with it. This is something that Christie has set out to change. For the past two years, Christie has been very active with Suicide Prevention International (SPI), the leading not-for-profit organization that develops, implements, and funds suicide prevention projects in the U.S. and worldwide.
Christie was extremely close with her step-father. According to her, he had a humorous attitude towards life, a hippie-complex, and a way to care about people that is so rare to find. When he died, it took Christie quite a while to be able to build up enough resilience to work in the field of suicide prevention without it hurting so much. But, every day she is glad to be where she is — getting one step closer to preventing one of the top leading causes of death.
“I have a vision, a vision that community, hope and help will replace pain and silence. The vision is that we will learn what it means to love our friends, and that we will love ourselves enough to get the help we need. The vision is that the help we seek WILL be there,” said Christie.
In support of her vision, Christie is hosting a fundraiser at Frankie & Fanucci’s Wood Oven Pizzeria, in Mamaroneck and Hartsdale on Sunday, March 20th from noon to 10 p.m. All someone needs to do is bring in a copy of this flier (), and Frankie & Fanucci’s will donate 20% of their check to Christie’s “Walk for Life” that’s taking place on May 7th in Riverside Park, New York in support of Suicide Prevention International. It’s an easy (and tasty!) way to help make a difference.