The Suicide Awareness Bus

This past week, Eric Roth Photography had the sacred honor of documenting a mission unlike any other, the Suicide Awareness Bus. This isn’t just a vehicle. It’s a vessel of remembrance, healing, and hope.

Wrapped in signatures of thousands; survivors, families, and those we’ve lost. The bus carries ashes of lives gone too soon. It rolls into communities not with fanfare, but with quiet reverence, bearing stories that deserve to be seen, heard, and held.

Each photo Eric captured tells a story of resilience. Of grief transformed into purpose. Of strangers becoming family through shared pain and shared hope.

The Reality We Must Face

Suicide, mental health, and addiction are not distant issues, they are woven into the fabric of our neighborhoods, churches, and schools.

• In 2023, nearly 50,000 Americans died by suicide, one every 11 minutes.
• Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people aged 10–34.
• 22.8% of U.S. adults live with a mental illness, and 5.5% suffer from serious mental illness.
• Among youth, 40% of high school students report persistent sadness and hopelessness.
• Drug overdose deaths exceeded 105,000 in 2023, with opioids involved in over 75% of them.

These numbers are not just statistics. They are names on this bus. They are stories in our communities.

There Is Help: Call 988

If you or someone you love is struggling, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7. You can call, text, or chat with trained counselors who will listen without judgment and help you find a path forward.

You are not alone. You are not beyond help. You are not forgotten.

The Lies We Must Reject

The enemy whispers lies: You’re too broken. You’re a burden. You don’t matter.

But the truth of God says:

• You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
• You are part of the body, and no part is disposable.
• You are loved with everlasting love.

Let us bear one another’s burdens. Let us speak life. Let us choose unity over isolation, kindness over silence.

Support the Mission

Eric’s photos of the Suicide Awareness Bus are now available as canvas prints, shirts, and posters in our storefront. Each piece is a visual prayer, a reminder that hope is real and healing is possible.

A portion of the proceeds will go toward supporting the Suicide Awareness Bus and its ongoing journey to bring light into dark places.

How You Can Help

• Donate to the Suicide Awareness Bus and help them continue their mission.
• Share their facebook page to raise awareness.
• Speak kindly to those around you—you never know who’s silently struggling.
• Pray for those in pain and for those who serve them.