Lisa Hurka Covington is the Founder and President of SPEAK (Suicide Prevention Education Awareness for Kids).  Her younger sister, Laura was 28 when she shot herself on July 9, 1991.  Ms. Hurka Covington is a public speaker, published writer, and activist fighting for the safety of our young people.  She sat on the Public Policy Committee for NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill), was on the board of MAHA (Marylanders Against Handgun Abuse), is the community organizer in Maryland for the national organization SPAN (Suicide Prevention Action Network), and the Maryland spokesperson for suicide prevention.  She has been on radio, television, written up in magazines, and newspapers.

In 2001, Ms Hurka Covington spearheaded the effort and had emergency phones placed on The Chesapeake Bay and Francis Scott Key Bridges in Maryland, giving jumpers one last lifeline to grasp.  Ms Hurka Covington was honored in 2003, to be one of the 100 women chosen who raised their voices to make differences in small and large communities across the country which was put on by Charming Shoppers Inc., Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, and Catherines Stores. She became nationally known in April 2005 when featured in Family Circle Magazine, "For the Love of Laurie."  The article discussed how her sister's death lead her to become one of the most outspoken advocates of suicide prevention.  In 2005 she also received the prestigious Sister Joannes Clifford Award at her beloved, Mercy High School and in 2006, she was selected as one of 100 top women in Maryland for her accomplishments.  She was also acknowledged in Beverly Cobain and Jean Larch's book for suicide survivors, "Dying to Be Free."

"Every negative situation has something positive that one day will evolve," Ms. Hurka Covington stresses.  Her beautiful sister and others who completed suicide will never be forgotten - they were here for a reason!