About Us
Evan’s Promise is a nonprofit organization that provides a place of peace, healing and hope to those that have been impacted by the overwhelming experience of the death of a loved one by suicide. We provide support to individuals, families and communities that grieve a death by suicide. It is our belief that the emotional trauma that results from this type of death, can be improved greatly through the collective compassion of those survivors that have lived the experience before us. We seek to reduce the rate of suicide loss by providing support and resources that give way to healing and hope.
Postvention, or Aftercare, is an undervalued piece of any suicide prevention protocol. Those left to grieve a death by suicide are six times more likely to take their own life than the overall population. In this way, we find survivors helping survivors is a pivotal prevention strategy and aim to provide the most comprehensive aftercare and recovery available.
Our Mission
Our Story
Our Vision
Our mission at Evan’s Promise is to be a community of peace, healing and hope to those individuals and families that have been broken by suicide grief. We will work together to end the stigma of suicide death and provide aftercare support to those in need.
Evan’s Promise was created by John and Shelli Smartt after the suicide death of their 18 year old son, Evan. Immediately thrown into immense pain and trauma, they found healing in the words and actions of those that had gone through experiences similar to theirs. Peer led grief groups, coupled with traditional therapies, led them to recognize the need for a therapeutic retreat for those that have also been affected by suicide loss. Evan’s kind and caring spirit lives on in his promise to help others in need and by affirming that everyone is capable of changing someone else’s life for the better.
Our vision is to provide community based resources and local area survivors to assist in restoring a purposeful life to those bereaved by suicide.