Douglas County Sheriff's Office #NoShaveNovember nets almost $3,700 for suicide prevention

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - The Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) recently concluded a month-long fundraiser to raise money for the Suicide Prevention Network (SPN).

#NoShaveNovember raised just over $3,672 for the nonprofit that provides families and individuals with support and education within the community.

Involved with the judging was Trish Hamilton who lost her son Dalton Warswick to suicide in September of this year. Dalton had attended both Whittell and Douglas High Schools.

“This is really affecting a lot of young people in our community,” said Trish Hamilton. “This is something I didn’t ever imagine that I would have to deal with, and the fact that the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office was willing to lose the stigma and talk about this, gave me so much relief.”

Hamilton was joined by SPN Director Debbie Posnien in judging the DCSO contestants on their beards. The winners turned out to be in the same family. Rick Kootz, Sr. was selected as the overall winner and Rick Kootz, Jr. received the ‘Baby Face’ Trophy.

Each participant, judge and beard-grower, paid an entry fee to join in. Those fees were collected and Sheriff Coverley presented the funds to SPN. .

Suicide Prevention Network is a non-profit agency based in Douglas County dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through support, education, and advocacy. They provide help in a confidential environment, free of charge. They offer services both in the Valley and in South Lake Tahoe.

“The collaboration with DCSO is of the up most importance, knowing that Suicide Prevention Network is not alone has been huge, especially over that last few weeks where we have seen an uptick in suicides,” said Posnien. “Knowing that our officers feel compassion and support for these families and that they are not alone means so much.”

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Suicide Prevention Network and Trish Hamilton, who is now advocating for suicide prevention, would like to remind the community that there is help and resources available through Suicide Prevention Network and the resources they provide. Their phone number is 775.783.1510 and more information can be found on their website, https://www.spnawareness.org/.