After a murder-suicide took place on the campus of Independence High School in Glendale last year, the county prosecutor in charge of the case, Gina Godbehere, felt compelled to do something.
So she joined Lilly DeBlieux, superintendent of Pendergast Elementary School District in Buckeye, and business strategist Jennifer Rogers to create a youth conference aimed at bringing these issues out into the open.
They organized and created the first annual “Speak Up, Stand Up, Save a Life” conference to address the issues of suicide, substance abuse and bullying in their schools. It focuses on the students, who they say are often the first to know if a friend or classmate is in danger.
Their second annual conference starts Tuesday in the West Valley and more than 3,000 students are attending. The Show’s Lauren Gilger spoke with DeBlieux about how it began.
