The James Project, a new suicide outreach program on campus, will host its first interest meeting 1 p.m. on Saturday at Jacobs’ Dream.

Mallory Snowden, freshman environmental science, political science and public programs major from Midlothian, is founder and president of The James Project. She said she saw a need on campus and decided to take action.

“I had been helping people through a peer counseling center at my high school, but this year I’m going to try to take it a step further,” Snowden said.

Snowden, who struggled with severe depression her sophomore year in high school, attributes her survival to people taking notice and guiding her through it.

“As I got better, I saw how oblivious people are to other people around them,” Snowden said.

The group’s mission is to use the word of God to help those who are struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts and to educate people on the signs of suicide to help those struggling.

The James Project is named after James 1:1-8, of which verses two and three say, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

According to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, 18 percent of undergraduate students have suicidal thoughts, which makes suicide prevention an important topic on campuses.

Although the club is just getting started, Snowden hopes The James Project will be an official student organization by next semester. The club’s first goal is to grow in membership.

“Anyone can be involved that’s an ACU student,” Snowden said. “We need 10 committed members and a faculty member to even have our group be considered to be a student organization.”

Students interested in The James Project should attend the first interest meeting or contact Mallory Snowden at mas13a@acu.edu.

“I hope to have meetings each month, plus meetings for elected outreach leaders,” Snowden said.