Bremerton Patriot, January 15, 2016

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PATRIOT BREMERTON

KITSAP WEEKLY INSIDE: Small dog, BIG heart! Loving pup serves as inspiration.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016 | Vol. 18, No. 45 | WWW.BREMERTONPATRIOT.COM | 50¢

IN THIS EDITION

Suicide is a symptom of an illness BY MICHELLE BEAHM MBEAHM@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM

BREMERTON — When it comes to suicide, “Sometimes, the warning signs are not big, flashy, blatant signs,” said Kelly Schwab, program supervisor of the Crisis Clinic of the Peninsulas. “Sometimes, they’re pretty small things that can be hard to notice, and that’s

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something else to be aware of.” The Crisis Clinic of the Peninsulas helps people in Kitsap and the surrounding area with suicidal thoughts, or who know others with suicidal thoughts. Their 24-hour hotlines are 360-479-3033 for Kitsap or Clallam counties, 360-385-0321 for Jefferson County or 1-800-843-4793. The first three quarters of 2015 have

shown a record number of deaths by suicide happened in Kitsap County, a total of 52. (The numbers from the end of the year have yet to be tallied.) Schwab said part of the increase could have to do with population increase in the area, “but nationwide, there is a trend right now.” “Suicide is becoming more common,” he said, “the rates are going up.”

BY MICHELLE BEAHM MBEAHM@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM

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Michelle Beahm / staff photo

Clockwise from top left, Dale Williams, Matt Taran, Logan Williams, 10, and Summer Williams, 8, at View Ridge Elementary.

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SEE SUICIDE, A9

Watch D.O.G.S. are positive role models for students

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But, Schwab said, “Suicide is a symptom of a mental health condition or a health condition.” He said it’s not unlike asthmatics dying from an asthma attack; dying by suicide is a symptom of an illness. “The way the mind works on it, once a person starts thinking about suicide, they can be trapped into thinking that suicide is the only way, they have to die, and they have no choice in the matter,” Schwab said. “It’s at that point that a person makes that attempt.

BREMERTON — Dale Williams, retired Navy and father of three Bremerton School District students, just wanted to help kids and make sure they’re safe when he joined the district’s Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) volunteer program. Watch D.O.G.S. is a volunteer program for dads and other positive male role models that works to support education and safety within schools. A national program, it has a presence in more than 5,148 schools in 47 states, according to the Watch D.O.G.S. website (www.fathers.com/watchdogs); it was brought to Bremerton by teacher — and father — Matt Taran about seven years ago. When Taran was teaching at Crownhill Elementary and was vice president of the PTA, he attended a state PTA convention featuring the program. “It was really eye opening,” Taran said. “I remember coming out of it and I said to my wife right away, ‘We’ve got to get this program at our district.’ ” Crownhill Elementary was the first school in the district to implement the Watch D.O.G.S. program, but it soon snowballed. Now most elementary schools and the middle school have the program, and the high school has a similar one called Guiding Knights, SEE WATCH D.O.G.S., A9

Wedding expo for local couples BY MICHELLE BEAHM MBEAHM@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM

BREMERTON — Most engagements happen during the holiday season, between November and Valentine’s Day, according to Paula Lowe, publisher of Wedding and Events Magazine. Lowe said many of them get engaged in December. That makes Saturday, Jan. 31, a great day to hold the West Sound Wedding Show in Bremerton’s Kitsap Conference Center. “The most popular time to get married, especially in the northwest, is between May and September, so the wedding professionals get really booked up,” Lowe said, “so it’s important to get them booked as soon as possible.” The West Sound Wedding Show will host more than 50 wedding professionals and range

from photographers to florists, caterers to venues, and “everything they need for their wedding,” Lowe said. The event is in its sixth year being hosted by the Wedding and Events Magazine, but has been an annual feature for more than 25 years, according to Lowe. “It pays for the brides and grooms to come to a local wedding expo,” Lowe said. “If they go outside Kitsap County, they often have to pay a travel fee.” But at this event, nearly all the vendors are local (and the ones that aren’t are nearby or travel a lot, Lowe said), and, as a side benefit, many have worked together numerous times. “Your wedding will go smoothly, because it’s people who have worked together before,” Lowe said. SEE WEDDINGS, A9

Aubin Ahrens Photography / Provided

The West Sound Wedding Show’s fashion show features the latest wedding styles, including professionally-done hair and makeup.

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