Pick With Austin is more than just an organization that collects donations of guitars and then presents to children and to teens. The guitars, musical equipment and instruments that we give away are definitely the most visible part of our foundation, but they are more the hook to draw the interest into the larger picture.
The larger picture is our primary mission, which is to help develop and educate an awareness of youth and teen depression and suicide. We do this to stengthen the understanding in this epedimic, which ranks as the third leading cause of death, behind accidents and homicide, of young people. Our aim is to educate parents, relatives, and peers as to warning signs, as well as to ways to manage or treat signs of depression in youth.
Our programs are designed to help keep the awareness of this problem in the spotlight so that no parent will ever have to face the nightmare with the loss of their own child.