Andy Brown started his job as Executive Director of Headquarters Counseling Center on May 15, 2014, with the top priority to restore 24/7 access to the support center.
By June 1, that schedule had been restored, thanks to dedicated staff and volunteers in the revived organization.
As a certified crisis center for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL), Headquarters staff and volunteers are one of only two such crisis center in the state. The agency receives calls from persons wanting a listening ear as they contemplate suicide—a problem much more prevalent in the state than many realize, according to Brown. The agency also seeks to build local capacity for suicide prevention through the Kansas Youth Suicide Prevention Program, an initiative funded through the coming year by a federal grant. Headquarters also operates the Kansas Suicide Prevention Resource Center, offering training, professional assistance, and a website and resource map.
Started in 1969 as an information and referral service in Lawrence, Headquarters, Inc., grew, matured and flourished during the next three decades. By 2000, however, challenges began to arise, and in 2013, the Board of Directors scaled back services and undertook a strategic planning process that could carry the agency into the coming years. Their mission statement now reads: “Our trained volunteer and paid staff improve the emotional well-being and safety of adults and children through readily available counseling, education, and information services.”
With a Masters in Social Work Administration, Andy Brown is well-prepared to take the leadership position in the revamped organization. Working with core staff members, he has not only re-instituted the round-the-clock call center, he is developing alliances statewide with others involved with suicide prevention and is spearheading a variety of fund-raising initiatives. He and his staff have recruited and trained a new cadre of volunteers and are seeking to find more people interested in assisting with this life-saving work.
