You Call, We Answer
Jason grew up in central Illinois and the Chicago suburbs with a dream of becoming an actor, which he pursued in New York City for several years. There, he met his wife, and the two now have a daughter in college. For the last two and a half decades, he has worked in higher education in Minneapolis, rural Iowa and now Portland, where he serves as...
Gary has been a Portland resident since 1990. He and his wife have two children and three grandchildren. Gary spent more than three decades as a dentist before retiring about 10 years ago. In retirement, he didn’t slow down, he leaned in. He has volunteered with a number of organizations over the years, always looking for meaningful ways to give...
Joshua Merritt grew up with a love for language and performance. They write and perform poetry, play live music, and have spent their career as a project manager bringing that same attention to craft and detail into their professional life. More recently, they've begun working toward a career in clinical mental health. They heard about Lines for...
The 2026 Oregon Legislative Session is underway, and Lines for Life is actively advocating for policies that protect mental health, prevent substance abuse, and keep our communities safe. Here’s how we’re working to create lasting change and how you can help.
Each year, Lines for Life reflects on the progress made toward building a more compassionate, accessible, and equitable behavioral health system. Our 2025 Annual Report highlights work moving beyond awareness and into action. Work that addresses long-standing gaps in access, representation, and trust.
For many seniors in Oregon, isolation is a daily reality and a heavy burden. But thanks to the Senior Loneliness Line, a program from Lines for Life, that burden is met with understanding, care, and connection.
As we step into 2026, Lines for Life remains committed to our mission and purpose of bringing hope to people wherever they are, at every stage of life, and in moments when it’s needed most. In the year ahead, we are excited to continue expanding our reach, strengthening our partnerships, and deepening our impact across Oregon and beyond. From crisis lines to community-based initiatives, our work is rooted in connection, compassion, and the belief everyone deserves access to support.
When David Westbrook volunteers to answer the phone on the Senior Loneliness Line, he is not doing so as Lines for Life’s Chief Operational Officer. He is simply there as a person listening, empathizing, and holding space without judgement.
Every year, as soon as the Gala ends and the Development team is busy packing up at the venue, we start thinking about what we want to do for the next one! Together, we carefully plan every element from invitations, décor, and messaging to auction packages, sponsor and donor experience – hoping to properly show our appreciation and celebrate our supporters and our work.
My job at Lines for Life is to ensure that Oregon’s Service Members, Veterans, and their Families (SMVF) know how they can benefit from connecting to our Military Helpline, and why it’s important to reach out to us. I come from a family with generations of veterans who have served this great country; it was my honor to continue this tradition. I...
I’ve always been passionate about supporting people when they might feel stigmatized or isolated. When I was growing up, my family struggled with poverty. Some of them turned to substances to cope and, even though they were around, I felt alone. The first funeral I ever went to was for a coworker who died by suicide, when I was 16. He was...
There is so much stigma against mental health and suicide in the Black and Creole cultures, but many of us are working to break that stigma. I’ve always been interested in mental health. My family moved to Southwest Louisiana over 300 years ago as one of the premier and largest Creole families.
The ripple effects of substance abuse and suicide are quantifiable and immense. I know firsthand how difficult it is to lose a loved one to suicide. I’m a suicide loss survivor. My father struggled with extreme mental illness and died by suicide when I was just nine years old. Ten years later, my sister died by suicide. In a lot of different...
Suicide prevention is very personal to me – one of the reasons I chose this path is that I want to make sure that help is accessible, and it’s something that people are not afraid to talk about. I grew up in extreme poverty – my brothers and I all struggled with our own mental health and substance use issues, and loss was a very prominent part of...
Calling crisis lines helped me through a few difficult times, and I want to return that favor. I was twelve or thirteen when I first called a crisis line in middle school. I found it very helpful when I was younger, and even through my college days. I struggled a lot with anxiety, depression, and ongoing suicidal impulses. I struggled to connect...