The Trevor Project and LGBTQ Youth Need You

The Trevor Project recruited activist and Empire star Jussie Smollett to urge people to step up and volunteer for the LGBTQ youth suicide prevention organization.

Smollett stars in Trevor's newest public service announcement, Save a Life With the Trevor Project. Smollett and the organization are rallying people to be crisis counselors for the TrevorText and TrevorChat services, free confidential text and web chat support services for LGBTQ youth.

"Just one supportive person can decrease an LGBTQ youth's risk of suicide by 30 percent, and the Trevor Project is giving everyone the amazing opportunity to be that person," Smollett says. "Volunteering your time can literally save lives."

This new initiative is sponsored by AT&T and hopes to bring more hands on deck to handle the 68,000 calls, chats, and texts the Trevor Project receives annually. The only thing volunteers need is a stable internet connection. If chosen as a counselor, volunteers will receive accredited training from the American Association of Suicidology. Go to TheTrevorProject.org/SaveALife to start the process.

The Trevor Project is the largest LGBTQ support network specializing in "crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ young people." The always-open lifeline is available at (866) 488-7386, and the organization's website is TheTrevorProject.org.