Dear Kim, Jack and Mark,
We received an e-mail today from a boy who had just finished reading our story in Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. He had planned on committing suicide last night, but he had flipped through the “Tough Stuff” section in the book—and realized that hurting himself wasn’t the answer. He asked us to send him some yellow ribbon cards and thanked us for saving his life.
Although astonishing in itself, this is just one example of the thousands of letters, calls and e-mails we have received since the inclusion of our story in the Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul book. Thousands of lives have been saved as a result of our inspired partnership, and it is in the spirit of profound gratitude that we write to you today.
As you know, in September of 1994 we experienced the greatest loss a parent can face—the death of a child. In the depths of despair our beloved son, Mike, shot himself in the front seat of his cherished yellow Mustang. He took his life when he did not know the words to say, or how to let someone know he was in trouble and needed help. Stories of Mike’s life and humble generosity poured in from friends and mourners. In the midst of our suffering, we were nurtured by the awareness that at such a young age Mike had truly made a difference in so many people’s lives. Our grief seemed insurmountable and our loss unbearable. Yet somehow, in our darkest hours, we held on to a tiny ray of light, the hope that we could somehow continue Mike’s legacy of giving and making a difference. We thought up the idea for a card that would allow teens to ask for help when they are unable to express themselves with words. Thus, the Yellow Ribbon Project was born from our intense desire for no teen to have to go through what Mike had—and no parent to have to experience the pain we were feeling. The Yellow Ribbon Project has been our solace and our mission.
When our story was told in A 3rd Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul, the letters and calls poured in. We were humbled and energized by the response, and we worked even harder to get the cards out to people and spread the message. We realized how many children and teens were suffering all over the country, and our desire to help grew. When Kim called to ask us to tell the story in our own words for Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul,* we were stunned and thrilled. In some ways, we were still just two grieving parents who missed their son, so when we received that call from Kim and knew that we were being given the opportunity to reach and potentially help millions of teens, we were awestruck. After hours of conversation with Kim, we formed a friendship and connection that has lasted to this day. We will never forget the day she called to tell us that our organization had been chosen as the recipient of a portion of proceeds from the book. To say we were astounded by the news would be an understatement. When she came up to Colorado to present us with the first check, we knew Mike’s legacy of making a difference would be felt around the globe.
They say it takes a village to raise a child. We add that it takes a village to save a child. Our partnership with Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul has done wonders for children and teens all over the global village. Together we have saved lives. We keep a database of all the communication we have received. Of these, 1,247 people have written to tell us that they read the story in Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul and decided not to end their lives. Imagine . . . 1,247 lives—that we know of— have been saved, all because we were given an opportunity to share our story with others.
There are nights we go to bed and think of all that’s happened because of this tragedy—all the awareness that has been raised, the lives that have been saved, and the teens and parents who have been helped. It is an immense blessing to be able to help kids going through the same thing Mike was. To know that we are preventing other parents from going through the pain we have, to know that we are able to reach a child or teen at the perfect moment—these are the miracles that help our hearts to keep on loving. We are deeply indebted to Chicken Soup for the increased opportunities you have given us to channel the energy of our grief and suffering into that of giving and compassion. We thank you for your friendship and support.
With love and blessings,
Dale and Dar Emme
Helping Others
How does one even put into words the feelings that are generated by this letter? Their story, their generosity, their compassion and the miracles that have grown out of such an enormous tragedy continue to amaze us. From the moment we heard this story, we were overwhelmed by the Emmes’ ability to deal with the loss of their son by deciding not only to help others, but to help others by talking about the circumstances of their son’s death every single day. These are two amazing human beings and the work they are doing is truly making a difference. We have witnessed it ourselves. We have watched teenagers come up to them after a talk and just cry on their shoulders from the sorrow they feel about Mike. They feel safe with Dale and Dar because their sincerity is unmistakable.
We made the decision four years ago to help this small but inspired organization by donating a portion of the proceeds from the first Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul book. We have always felt good about this decision and we have continued to donate proceeds from other Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul books. It is with great joy that we chose them yet again to receive proceeds from this book. They are no longer the small organization that we originally chose to help, but they are definitely still the inspired one.
If you would like more information about the Yellow Ribbon Project, you may contact them at:
Yellow Ribbon Project
P.O. Box 644
Westminster, CO 80030
Phone: 303-429-3530
Fax: 303-426-4496
e-mail: light4life@yellowribbon.org
Web site: www.yellowribbon.org
* “I’ll Always Be with You,” by Dale and Dar Emme, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul, pp. 206–210.