“Opening a door for someone and smiling could literally save their life,” local chaplain and single dad Chaz Blackburn, 34, says.
Blackburn knows what he’s talking about, as in addition to being the Spiritual Care and Director of Volunteer Services at the Circle of Life Hospice, he helps with many other worthy organizations in town including in the teen suicide realm, with organizations such as Forever 14 and The Solace Tree among many. He’s also lost too many close people to suicide.
Blackburn describes his current work as being that of an “emotional spiritual paramedic,” to support those in crisis and provide grief support. “A chaplain is a bridge to resources like a social worker and those different resources that a social worker would provide,” he explained during a recent podcast interview, in between taking calls and preparing community events. “We're a bridge to other people's faith. So no matter your faith or walk, we're not there to judge you or evangelize or push our beliefs. We're there to serve you wherever you're at… I’m here to support and love everybody and be that presence through those difficult times.”
Stigma is a word he brings up often. “Things that we're afraid to talk about because we think talking about them is going to bring them on or bring them on quicker. I have the honor of sometimes being a substitute for a death and dying class here at UNR. And it's just amazing to see all the social worker students and all these future professionals, and just be able to talk about things like death and talk about suicide and how we can better love each other.”
Blackburn says the same goes for hospice care. “People are afraid to utilize hospice, which offers some incredible services, whether you're terminal and have six months or less to live. People often wait until the last moment to take advantage of those services.”
Grief, he says, is an underlying cause for so many different negative consequences. “Certainly if we had better grief support resources, people would feel more loved and be able to carry on in a better positive manner.”
Blackburn says he likes to encourage people to turn “pain into purpose.”
“It doesn't bring back those that we've lost or other things that we're grieving, but people who are struggling with addictions or just the negativity and not having peace… find your purpose and give back because it really does make a difference. And, everybody can make a difference, right? You don't have to be a social worker… We all have a role to play at appropriate times, but we can all love each other and we're stronger united.”
Blackburn has had his own journey filled with grief, loss and turnaround.
Born and raised Sparks, he became a multi-state market manager for Samsung Telecommunications America based out of Roseville, CA, at a young age, but felt the need to return home and to pivot his life’s work in line with what his father did, as a hospice chaplain.
Seven years ago, Blackburn started volunteering on Record street at the former location of the Good Shepherd’s Clothes Closet. “I was so just blown away by what I saw there. Eventually about four and a half years ago, I became a chaplain … and got credentialed.”
His first “client” while volunteering at the Circle of Life Hospice was his own grandmother, who had been diagnosed with liver cancer.
“She was crying, and I said, ‘what's wrong grandma?’ And she said, well, I'm dying real serious. I was like, ‘oh my gosh, I'm so sorry.’ And she started laughing and she had her big old smile with tears in her eyes, and she said, ‘I’m just teasing you.’ She said, ‘I’m just so happy. These are tears of joy that I’m going to be your first hospice patient and I know that you're gonna impact people in hospice for probably the rest of your life. And I'm honored that I get to be that first patient.’”
Blackburn says he’s earning less money now than he did previously but that he feels much better about his direction.
“I always had this big gaping hole in my heart,” he said. “And then when I started serving at the shelter, and then I learned about what chaplaincy really was, I found my purpose, and it's made me such a better father and an individual. I've never met someone on their deathbed that said I wish I had spent more time getting this award or more time making more money. It's always the small things. And small things become the big things like pushing your daughter on a swing or making that sports game.”
Suicide also affects seniors in Nevada at staggering rates, where in recent years suicides increased by nearly 20% among people 65 and over.
Blackburn would like to see more support for local senior outreach services and companionship programs, and says Washoe County and Nevada are very low in terms of how much assistance seniors get.
“I’m glad that the county commissioners, they did say next year, the two initiatives they're focusing on is mental health, which we definitely need and our senior citizens,” he said.
For both teens, young adults and seniors struggling, Blackburn would like to see more cooperation among all the local groups trying to help.
“If you are interested in getting involved, we need you,” he concluded. “It's going to take everybody to be successful in these initiatives. So please add me on Facebook and I mean that humbly not just to connect with me, but to see what's taking place in the community. You can go to my LinkedIn or ChazBlackburn.com. Let's get involved. Let's find what you're calling is and let's make a difference as a community.”