Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliffe Lends Support to Trevor Project

The actor felt it was more important to emphasize his support for the organization's mission

Actor Daniel Radcliffe has become a financial supporter of a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that runs a suicide prevention helpline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth, it was announced Monday.

Officials with The Trevor Project said the 20-year-old star of the “Harry Potter" film series and Broadway's “Equus" joined its Circle of Hope, a “community of major donors” to the organization.

The amount of Radcliffe's donation was not disclosed at his request, according to Trevor spokeswoman Jacque Wing, who said the actor felt it was more important to emphasize his support for the organization's mission.

Radcliffe issued a statement saying he was “very pleased to begin my support of The Trevor Project, which saves lives every day through its critical work."

“It's extremely distressing to consider that in 2009 suicide is a top three killer of young people, and it's truly devastating to learn that LGBTQ youth are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers,” the British actor said.

“I deeply hope my support can raise the organization's visibility so even more despondent youth become aware of The Trevor Helpline's highly trained counselors and Trevor's many other resources,” he said. “It's vitally important that young people understand they are not alone and, perhaps even more important, that their young lives have real value."

The Trevor Project was founded in 1998 by three filmmakers whose movie “Trevor," a comedy/drama about a gay teenager who attempts suicide, received the 1994 Academy Award for best live action short.

Since its founding, the organization's helpline has received “hundreds of thousands” of calls from LGBTQ youth across the country. In the past year alone, call volume has increased more than 300 percent, according to the organization.

In addition to its helpline, the organization operates a number of other programs, including:

-- “Dear Trevor," an online question-and-answer forum for young people with questions surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity;

-- The Trevor Survival Kit, an educational kit distributed to schools and youth service providers to help educators facilitate discussions about suicide, gender identity and sexual orientation; and

-- TrevorSpace, an online social networking community for LGBTQ youth, their friends and allies.

Radcliffe's gift will help fund those efforts as well as the organization's national education and advocacy work, according to Charles Robbins, its executive director and chief executive officer.

“We're incredibly grateful to Daniel for his truly inspiring and historic generosity and support," Robbins said. “He is setting a meaningful example for millions of young people around the world by embracing diversity and demonstrating that he cares deeply about the well-being of LGBTQ youth."

For more information or to make a donation, visit TheTrevorProject.org or Causes.com/TheTrevorProject, via Facebook.
 

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