Standing Up Against Suicide

Restaurateur raises funds for non-profit after battling his own demons By [Gavin Aronsen] When Giuseppe Bruno overheard a conversation about youth suicide prevention efforts at a table in his restaurant a year ago, he felt compelled to get involved. He did, in a big way: By next week, he hopes to have helped raise $100,000 for a study on depression and suicide. After the table finished its desserts at Sistina, Bruno"s upscale Italian restaurant, the restaurateur approached Herbert Hendin, CEO of the non-profit Suicide Prevention International (SPI). He spoke of his struggles growing up in Naples, Italy, which included thoughts of suicide. Not long after, a notice was placed in the dining section of The New York Times alerting people that they could call in a reservation and donate the cost of their meal to SPI. Beginning in January and continuing through today, the money from one meal each week has gone toward Hendin"s organization. â??A lot of people's some of them want to give you money because they think it looks good, but they don"t have that real passion for what you do. They think it"s good PR, Hendin said. â??Bruno wasn"t like that So far, donations from Bruno"s restaurant have raised about $13,000. Bruno and Hendin hope to raise the rest of the $100,000 through private donations and on Nov. 18, when the University Club on West 54th Street hosts SPI"s annual Life Lines Luncheon. â??I believe that to do certain things you have to make an impact, Bruno said. â??You make an impact by aiming highâ?¦ and I know people who have money. Bruno grew up in politically unstable southern Italy in the 1960s and "70s. It was a time when he saw no real future for himself and had no one to turn to with whom he felt he could express his feelings. â??We are born in a certain way, Bruno said. â??I had problems because I was very sensitive with certain situations. Bruno said he came close to acting upon his suicidal thoughts on a couple occasions, and he never seemed to be able to resolve his problems. â??I really thought, My God, this is life? This is how I"m supposed to live my life, like this? Bruno recalled. â??I didn"t find an interest in living under those circumstances. Luckily, the family had a way out: Bruno"s grandfather lived in Manhattan. They left Italy in 1976 when Bruno was 17. Bruno started working at the upscale Italian restaurant Parioli, where he served famous people including Henry Kissinger and John Lennon. â??Things moved from committing suicide to heaven, he said. In 1983 he opened Sistina on the Upper East Side. Over the course of his time there, he has helped raise money for children in need. Recently, he helped raise funds for children with brain tumors. â??The problems children suffer today, I had no idea then. My problems were only about communication, Bruno said. Hendin said that youth suicides have tripled over the past 60 years. They are now one of the leading causes of death among young people in the United States. SPI"s current fundraising efforts with Bruno will go toward a study led by Dr. Moira Rynn, a psychiatrist at Columbia University. â??The luncheon is the launching of what will be at least a five or 10 year effort till this is resolved, Hendin said. â??You have to plan long-term. Correction added. The correct spelling of the restaurant is Sistina.