Leor from AZ

Since he began assisting people in crisis reaching out to IMAlive in November 2020, it's been clear the role of Alex is natural fit for Leor. His understanding that "to be able to help those in crisis means one needs to be able to put one's own personal feelings aside and really be there for the person and be in the moment" has resulted in countless connections where a person was helped safely through one of their toughest moments, and also felt "validated and valued" as an individual whose life holds hope. Above and beyond this ability to empathically connect with chatters, he excels at employing the various tools and skills of crisis response he has learned along the way to suit their specific needs and lead to the best possible outcome for them both short term for suicide safety, as well as highlighting resources they possess or that are available that may aid them in establishing long term solutions. Supervisors praise his consistent and open communication with them on shifts, and appreciate that he is always on the lookout out to learn from a chat and that he takes any and all feedback and applies it seamlessly when a new crisis might benefit from a similar approach. In challenging chats, he often brainstorms aloud and bounces scenarios off the supervisor to let them know where a chat is at and where he and the person in crisis are headed next in the search for safety; he has the confidence to trust his gut while helping others, but is also ready to hear any observations and ideas that will lead to a hopeful outcome for the person in crisis.  Leor, we are happy to be walking the path of crisis response along with you, and happier to honor you as a Volunteer of the Month!

Rebeca from AZ

Rebeca joined the IMAlive team in January 2020, bringing with her a style and approach genuine and positive to the point that it's almost contagious and reaches each person in crisis she engages with. A "great listener" with "a lot of patience" and a knack for "working with people," Rebeca hoped, in addition to helping others with these traits, that volunteering "will give me experiences that will change my life and will help me become a better person." She sagely noted that, "Caring for others always changes you for the best." Supervisors say they can rely on her to be a true veteran that can take initiative during shift and control of each chat with respect to each avenue possible to take with the person in crisis, all while really empathizing and understanding what we do at IMAlive and for others. They also note she embodies the values we strive to embrace and express as crisis responders - open-mindedness, non-judgmental, empathetic, caring, and so much more. When not discussing crisis intervention or brainstorming how to assist a person actively in crisis, her regular supervisors also enjoy the easy chit chat about this and that going on in life in between chats. It's with great joy and the contagious sort of positivity she brings to us at IMAlive, that we name Rebeca a Volunteer of the Month! Congrats!