09/25/2026
Thank you to the VACT for hosting such a meaningful event today at the Middletown Armed Forces Reserve Center. To have this event at the tail end of Su***de Prevention Month was especially impactful and gave tremendous purpose to the work we do.
Amplify has hosted many su***de prevention trainings over the years, and one part of that conversation comes up again and again: most people experiencing suicidal thoughts don’t necessarily want to die; they want the pain to stop.
We talk about ambivalence. We talk about the window of opportunity to truly see someone in that moment. And we talk about what it means to simply be with someone—to listen without judgment and give them the space to be heard.
That is su***de prevention.
Sometimes it is so simple that it can feel almost too small to make a difference. But that’s it.
Just listen.
Today, the VACT brought us “The Kevins”. Kevin Berthia and Kevin Briggs, the man known as the Guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge, who has helped more than 200 people come back from the ledge.
On March 11, 2005, Officer Briggs was Kevin’s guardian angel. Years later, Kevin Berthia’s mother was able to tell him just that.
We heard from both men today, lifelong friends who continue to support each other through dark times. Officer Briggs said he hasn’t “saved” anyone. The people he witnessed struggling saved themselves. They are the courageous ones.
Kevin Berthia shared that when he thinks about what Officer Briggs said that day, it wasn’t necessarily the words that mattered most.
It was that he was truly the first person to just listen to him.
Kevin Berthia was a young man navigating life’s transitions and curveballs. Today, he asked us to look out for one another regardless of the smiles and jokes we see on the outside.
“Especially our youth,” he said.
Changing schools. Parents divorcing. Challenges that come with youth sports. Social Media. These can all be moments for us to pause, check in, sit with someone, and truly listen.
“The Kevins” are well known in the su***de prevention community and Amplify was grateful to meet them in person today.
If only to say:
I’m glad you’re still here.
www.kevinberthiafoundation.com
