DJ’s Alliance intern to bolster support for suicide loss survivors

DJ’s Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting suicide loss survivors in Delaware, recently announced intern Maclovia “Chloe” Richardson has joined its team.

When choosing an internship for her studies at Delaware Technical Community College, Richardson said she knew the search was over when her advisor told her about DJ’s Alliance.

“I had to endure the grief and pain of losing a loved one to suicide, and have made it my mission to get involved in helping others who are going through the same experiences,” Richardson said. “By joining DJ’s Alliance, I look forward to getting my foot in the door by working hand in hand with helping professionals while gaining firsthand experience working with the members of my community. As an aspiring mental health professional, I am motivated to impact my community, educate others needing these resources, meet new people and build strong connections.”

Richardson will help the volunteer-run team raise awareness of what’s known as postvention, the support offered to loss survivors following a suicide death. She will also work to boost the organization’s peer-to-peer support program social media efforts, outreach, events, activities and collaboration with professionals in the First State.

A human resources major at Delaware Tech, Richardson dreams of continuing her education at Wilmington University to become a forensic psychologist. She enjoys spending time with her furbaby and going on spontaneous adventures with family and friends in her limited spare time between her schooling, internship and regular working hours.

“Chloe came to us with experiences in human resources and the unfortunate loss of her loved one. That and her drive to success has given her the tools she needs to step into this role fully, with excitement to make positive changes with us in Delaware,” said Jennifer Antonik, DJ’s Alliance founder and executive director. “We’re very happy Chloe chose DJ’s Alliance for her internship. Growing our next round of leaders alongside our mission is critical to the ability to have more postvention services in Delaware’s future.”

DJ’s Alliance is a grassroots nonprofit organization seeking to bridge the gap between suicide loss and healing for loss survivors in Delaware by offering resources and peer-to-peer support, as well as community connections and collaborations.

“Postvention is prevention. We have to give postvention its own dedicated space when doing prevention work to account for a variety of experiences, which includes those who have lost someone to suicide. With Chloe’s help, DJ’s Alliance will be able to continue amplifying the need for more postvention in Delaware,” said Antonik.

To refer a suicide loss survivor in Delaware to DJ’s Alliance or for more information, email info.djsalliance@gmail.com or go to DJsAlliance.com.

To connect immediately with a caring and trained crisis counselor, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7 for free, confidential support.