NEW YORK, April 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- S’More the new anti-superficial relationship app, partners with HopeLine, the on-demand crisis intervention and suicide prevention service to support people in need by raising funds and awareness to serve the exploding demand for mental health services during this Coronavirus pandemic. Demand for mental health services has surged in recent weeks, an over 40% increase according to HopeLine.
Given the massive uptick in mental health demands in the country, S’More is joining forces and mobilizing its community to help. Effective immediately, S’More is launching a campaign, called “Social Distance is Not Emotional Distance” which will raise money and visibility to help HopeLine handle the elevated level of service needed to support the surge in demand brought on by the Coronavirus. For each new conversation started on S’More, a $1 donation will be made to HopeLine. The aim is to get people chatting, create connections, and make people realize that they are not alone.
HopeLine has been around since the 1970’s and is one of the oldest crisis prevention organizations in the country. It is a free, 24/7 support line for those in crisis. Anyone in the United States or Canada can call or text 919-231-4525 or toll-free 877-235-4525 to connect with highly trained Crisis Counselors. Thousands of people utilize the free service each year. In March, HopeLine fielded over 1,740 calls and texts, one of its heaviest months of activity in recent time. At least 90% of the volume referenced Coronavirus.
S’More launched earlier this year as a reaction to the superficial, selfie obsessed online dating culture that made catfishing, ghosting, unsolicited nudes and otherwise bad behavior commonplace. S’More has built a community around security, kindness, and respect. The app focuses on getting to know a person before deciding if you like them and before you see them. The more you interact and chat with a person, the more their photos unblur and their private and visual content unlocks.
“Effective immediately, we are redirecting a large chunk of our marketing spend towards this important initiative, because social and emotional connectedness matters now more than ever,” says Adam Cohen-Aslatei, CEO of S’More. “Our community has been asking how they can help and now we’ve created the perfect partnership to do good and strengthen our larger community. Social distancing is not emotional distancing and we need to make sure that we stay connected during this time of physical separation.”
“We’ve been providing mental health services for nearly 50 years, and in times of crisis it becomes a real challenge to deploy the resources necessary to meet the need at hand,” says Lauren Foster, Executive Director of HopeLine. “This partnership uniquely allows one community to support another through the power of connection and it could not come at a more appropriate time. Coronavirus has led HopeLine to a run on virtually all of our resources and we don’t anticipate the need dissipating anytime soon.”
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About S’MORE
Imagine a relationship app that starts with getting to know a person before swiping on them. Where character is considered before physical attributes, and where profiles are evaluated on the basis of common interests, opinions, and values. You’ve just described S’More, a next-gen app built to provide daters with a totally interactive way of getting to learn more about a person before evaluating them on the basis of appearance.
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About HopeLine:
HopeLine, Inc. is a grassroots volunteer organization founded in 1970. Calls were first taken September 1, 1970, and we have been serving the community ever since! Since our incorporation, HopeLine has expanded our services to the entire US and Canada and in 2017 became one of the first crisis lines to utilize texting. HopeLine’s mission is to support people and save lives during times of crisis through caring, confidential conversations. We do this by providing the community with a free and confidential crisis and suicide prevention helpline that offers crisis intervention, supportive and non-judgmental active listening, gentle and understanding discussion of crisis resolution, and referrals to appropriate community resources.
For more information, please visit www.hopeline-nc.org