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‘There’s not a single day I don’t miss him:’ Local woman organizes suicide prevention fundraiser in memory of lost love

File photo.

For Donna Butler of Riverhead, the fight against suicide became personal seven years ago, when 23-year-old Jonathan Pratt took his own life.

“Jon was the love of my life,” Butler said in an interview today. Butler and Pratt got together while attending college in Albany. “We had lots of plans, but things change. Now, there’s not a single day that goes by that I don’t miss him.”

Butler, who lives in Riverhead and works at Four Doors Down restaurant in Mattituck, has been working to raise awareness about suicide prevention. Suicide claims the lives of 40,000 Americans every year.

Butler has organized an open-mic night fundraiser at Four Doors Down to raise money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The organization is determied to drop the suicide rate by 20 percent by 2025.

“I thought, well, Jon loved music. What better way to honor him than to bring some of the best musicians around together and invite them to come play?” she said.

Last October, she organized an open mic night in his memory. It was a smashing success, with more than $1,000 raised for Butler’s donation page for the Out of the Darkness walk, a fundraising event held nationwide in more than 300 communities that raises money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

“It was on a Wednesday night, so it was really amazing how many people turned out,” Butler said. “This year we’re holding it on a Thursday, the unofficial start of the weekend, so we’ll see how it goes. Honestly, I’ll be happy with anything. It’s all for a good cause, big or small.”

Tonight’s fundraiser will feature an open mic and a chinese auction with gifts donated from local businesses.

Butler said her employer has been a big help for her fundraising efforts. She held another fundraiser at Four Doors Down earlier this year in honor of her sister, who is battling brain cancer.

“They’ve been so generous and accommodating,” Butler said. “It’s the perfect place — the location, the space — so I’m very lucky to have them there.”

The event kicks off tonight at 7 and ends at 10 p.m. There is a suggested donation of $5, and all proceeds will be donated to the Friends and Family of Jonathan Pratt team and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

“In the last voicemail he left for me, Jon told me I was a part of his family, and I’ve made sure to keep it that way,” Butler said. She’s remained close with Pratt’s family over the years, visiting them every fall in Saratoga to participate in the Out of the Darkness walk. The walk takes place this year on Sunday.

Butler has set up a donation page for those who are unable to make the event tonight and would like to sponsor her during the walk this weekend.

She plans to travel upstate Saturday and stay overnight with Jon’s sister before the walk Sunday.

“His family was like my second family when I was up there,” she said. “I will always keep them in my life.”

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Courtney Blasl
Courtney is a freelance photographer, videographer, web designer and writer. She is a lifelong Riverhead resident.