The Numbers That Should Keep Us Up at Night

135

Americans die by suicide every day

80%

of all suicides are men

2x

Men 65-74 die at twice the national average

4x

Tradesmen and craftsmen die at four times the rate

1 in 4

seniors over 65 are socially isolated

8x

People in debt are eight times more likely

15%

of 988 crisis calls go unanswered

100-120

suicides per year in Volusia County alone

Sources: CDC WISQARS, AFSP, 988 Lifeline Reports, Volusia County Medical Examiner

Paul Allabaugh hit every risk factor on this list. He died March 30, 2026. Read his story →

Rainbow Bridge of Hope exists because of Paul. It's not just about Paul. It's about the next one.

This mission is funded by the sale of Paul's bridges (direct to Pat) and personal gifts via Venmo. Local. Volusia County. Where every dollar goes →

If you can't buy a bridge, share this page. Every share reaches someone who needs to see it.

If You or Someone You Know Is Struggling

988

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

Call or text, 24/7

741741

Crisis Text Line

Text HOME to 741741

Veterans Crisis Line: Call 988, press 1

SMA Healthcare (Volusia/Flagler): (800) 539-4228

NAMI Volusia County: namivolusia.org

See all crisis resources →

The Coalition

Tomoka Christian Church

New Smyrna Beach, FL. Local community anchor. Pastor Chad Holmes and the congregation are the first wave.

Connect 4 Hope

Daniel and Randy Dye. Halifax Health partnership. Active suicide prevention initiative in Volusia County.

AFSP Central Florida

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Community Walk: September 27, 2026. Port Orange.

Volusia Business Network

Local Coalition Engine

14,000 businesses in Volusia County. The directory and the coalition. Where local commerce meets local mission. A Ghost Factory deployment alongside Rainbow Bridge of Hope.

Want to join the coalition? Become a partner

What We Believe

We believe a man's work should outlive the darkness that took him.

We believe the gap between creation and commerce should never be fatal.

We believe every bridge Paul built was a prayer in wood, and every bridge that finds a home answers it.

We believe there is always a bridge. And there is always hope.

Where We Start Isn't Where We End Up

Phase 1 · Now

The Memorial Campaign

Sell every bridge Paul built.

Honor Pat Allabaugh. Fund suicide prevention outreach in Volusia County.

100% of bridge sales go directly to Pat. Mission gifts flow via Venmo and fund operations.

Local, honest, accountable.

This phase ends when the last of Paul's bridges finds a home.

Phase 2 · The Future

The Living Mission

A successor craftsman takes the mantle.

Rainbow Bridge of Hope becomes a for-profit business.

The successor builds, sells, and makes a living.

A percentage of every sale donated to suicide prevention. In perpetuity.

The brand continues. The audience continues. Paul's name stays on it forever. The mission never stops.

The system that helps people who can't sell their own work doesn't stop when Paul's inventory is gone. It evolves. The campaign becomes a company. The company funds the mission. The mission saves lives.

Honor a Pet. Save a Life.

Share the Mission

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“No weapon formed against you shall prosper.”

Isaiah 54:17

For the makers

When the last bridge sells, the mission doesn't end.

Paul made every bridge by hand. When the last of his finds a home, the inventory is gone — but the grieving pet owners don't stop arriving. The families don't stop needing something to hold.

We're looking for the next maker. A woodworker. A painter. A welder. A potter. A photographer. An illustrator. A sculptor. An artist of any medium who can build something a family keeps on their mantle for twenty years. You don't have to be Paul. Nobody can be. You can be the next chapter — under your own name, your own style, your own hands.

Photographers, illustrators, metalworkers, glass artists, weavers — the medium doesn't matter. The grief doesn't pick a form. Whatever you make, if it can carry someone's love for the animal they lost, this door is yours.

Carry the craft →Email Amber
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