The 437 Project Raises $251,007 For Helpline Center

On Sunday afternoon during this year’s The 437 Project Finish Line Celebration, The 437 Project presented a check to Helpline Center at Levitt at the Falls for $251,007.93. This donation is a summation of sponsorships and public donations, and makes The 437 Project’s total donation to Helpline Center $371,942 in two years.

“I was speechless when The 437 Project runners announced the total amount of the donation to the Helpline Center,” said Janet Kittams, CEO of Helpline Center. “This represents the largest financial gift that the Helpline Center has ever received. This gift ensures that the Helpline Center can continue to provide hope and help across the state for our work in suicide prevention, crisis support and grief after care. Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude.”

The 437 Project was born of a passion for bolstering both physical and mental wellness and the often overlooked connection between the two. This year’s project began Thursday, September 21 at the Wyoming/South Dakota Border, where 12 runners took turns relay-style running across the state of South Dakota. Along the route, The 437 Project team stopped in Rapid City, Pierre, Mitchell and Sioux Falls to share their stories with those communities, offer mental health resources, and ask for donations. The team finished the 437-mile journey at the Iowa/South Dakota Border Sunday, September 24.

The Helpline Center answers mental health and suicide related calls on the 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The Helpline Center supports over 100,000 people every year by connecting individuals to resources and support, providing referrals, building community volunteers, offering hope to individuals with thoughts of suicide and supporting families bereaved by suicide loss. The Helpline Center is the only entity in the state accredited by the Alliance for Information and Referral Systems and the only organization in the state that provides a certified crisis line through the American Association of Suicidology.

For more information about The 437 Project and this year’s runners and sponsors, visit the437project.org.