The Dyrect SAVES Story

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When someone decides to start a non-profit organization, they have a connection to their cause and the drive to make a difference in the world. Dyrect SAVES was born out of a tragic event and our goal is a lofty one, to make Dyrect SAVES a household name that is associated with suicide awareness and prevention. The idea to start this organization stems from the loss of someone incredibly special to my family, Jesse Dublanica. Jesse was one of those people who truly looked to help others in any way possible, such as on the night of 9/11 when he headed to Ground Zero to light the site for the rescue efforts with the other IATSE electricians, staying and working the site for days, also driving hours to show someone the sights of the NYC or comforting a loved one during tough times, you could count on him to be there no questions asked. If you asked Jesse’s family, friends, or co-workers to describe him, the terms caring, loving, thoughtful, kind, a sweet soul, humble, dependable etc would roll off their tongues. But behind his smile and easy-going demeanor was a heart and soul fighting an invisible battle that none of us could see. Tragically he lost that battle on October 27th, 2020, as Jesse died by suicide. 

As we all mourned his sudden loss, many of us asked “how come I didn’t see it” or “what could I have done differently”. Those are normal thoughts after someone dies by suicide and we thought long and hard about how to honor Jesse and his selfless way of always helping other people and making sure they were ok. Dyrect SAVES was formed to carry on Jesse’s caring nature and to raise awareness and aid in the prevention of suicide. The name Dyrect SAVES holds special meaning to anyone who truly knew Jesse. In his younger years, he could be found adding graffiti to the landscape in the NYC area and the Northeast, using his tag, “DYRECT”. It only made sense to use his tag to honor his memory and the word SAVES is based on Jesse’s view of helping anyone at any time and using that thought process to reach out to anyone fighting their own unseen battle and letting them know that they are not alone and that they should hit the PAUSE button and embrace all that is positive in their lives. The compass in our logo is based on a tattoo Jesse had and is there to help those that are lost in the darkness, find their way to the light, and embrace it.

Our mission and goals are to raise awareness and aid in the prevention of suicide, by doing community outreach, partnering with veterans groups and schools, raising funds to create programs to educate people on suicide warning signs as well as to help those that are coping with the loss of a loved one from suicide. We hope you will join us on this mission and carry on my cousin Jesse’s moral compass of helping those in need, no questions asked. If we can reach and save one person, then our mission is a success. #embracethelight

- Brett Miller, Executive Director, Dyrect SAVES