Everyday, thousands of crisis center volunteers endure the unthinkable. We listen to those in their darkest moments, crying hysterically; sometimes with guns to their heads. We are an outlet for those with no family, or those who thinks their family would be better off without them. We are an ear for mothers who have lost children and a voice for the elderly who have no children want to talk about their day. We answer the phone, unknowing if we will hear somebody die or not. We talk to our regular callers, who have no one and are just calling because they need company, and we talk to the mentally ill who need a safe place to not be judged. The emotional toll this takes on us is indescribable. One minute we could be talking to someone who's just checking-in, and the next we may be talking to someone on a bridge.

None of us are paid to do this, nor do we want to be. We know what it is like to feel lonely or depressed or unloved, and helping someone live to see another day is payment enough.

However, there are those that wish to take advantage of a good thing. There has been an increase of prank calls to our service, and it needs to STOP.  Prank calling a suicide hotline and saying "do me a favor and kill yourself" is not acceptable (yes someone actually said that) nor is keeping a listener on the line for over an hour claiming you're about to kill your girlfriend and yourself, then laughing and saying you were 'just messing with us' (yes someone said that too). Wasting even one minute of our time is not only selfish, but it is incredibly dangerous. For every minute we spend on a fake call, we could be answering a call from someone who is desperately in need of help. Someone who is thinking "if no one answers, I'll end my life".

Prank calling 911 is illegal in the State of New Jersey, as the dispatchers and police are using valuable time and resources to answer every call, as are we. This is why I believe it should be the same way for a crisis hotline. As of right now, there is no law or penalty against prank calling a crisis hotline, and that needs to change. Mental illness is not a joke, and abusing those who save lives is NEVER funny. By signing this petition, you will make a difference. You will send a message that says: I will not allow mental illness to be treated as a joke, and those who do MUST be held accountable.

On behalf of crisis center workers everywhere, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.