Nationally recognized resilience trainer, Red Star Wife, and co-creator of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline joins Red Star Foundation to help honor and support families impacted by military, veteran, and first responder suicide.

CLEARWATER, FL, June 26, 2026, Red Star Foundation is proud to announce that Kristen Christy has been named as a Red Star Families Ambassador, recognizing her extraordinary leadership, lived experience, and national impact in suicide prevention, resilience training, and military family advocacy.

Kristen Christy is a Red Star wife whose life and work have been shaped by unimaginable loss, resilience, and purpose. After the suicide of her first husband following a deployment, Kristen dedicated her life to helping others find hope, connection, and the strength to keep going. Her personal journey, including the suicide attempts of both of her sons and the challenges her family has faced through mental illness, has made her one of the nation’s most powerful voices for families impacted by suicide.

Kristen is widely known as “America’s Resilience Trainer.” She is an international speaker, trainer, writer, coach, and Master Resilience Trainer for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army. She has delivered more than 400 suicide prevention and resilience presentations across five countries to military installations, veteran organizations, corporations, and community groups.

Most notably, Kristen helped co-create the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in collaboration with national leaders. Since its creation, 988 has answered millions of calls and texts from people in crisis across the United States, U.S. territories, Canada, and military communities abroad.

“Kristen Christy represents exactly what Red Star Foundation stands for,” said Jerry Shaffer, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Red Star Foundation. “She is a Red Star wife who turned pain into purpose. Her work helped create one of the most important suicide prevention tools in American history, and her voice will help us reach more Red Star Families, current military, veterans, first responders, and families who need to know they are not alone.”

As a Red Star Families Ambassador, Kristen will help Red Star Foundation expand awareness of the Red Star Banner, support families who have lost a loved one to suicide, reduce stigma, and strengthen the Foundation’s national effort to prevent suicide among current military, veterans, first responders, and surviving families.

The Red Star Banner was created as a national symbol of recognition, remembrance, and hope for families of current military, veterans, and first responders who died by suicide. Red Star Foundation provides banners free of charge to next of kin and is building a nationwide support network for Red Star Families.

“I am honored to serve as a Red Star Families Ambassador,” said Kristen Christy. “As a Red Star wife, I know the pain that comes with losing someone you love to suicide. I also know the power of hope, connection, and community. Red Star Foundation is giving families a symbol, a voice, and a place to belong. That matters. It can save lives.”

Kristen’s national recognition includes being named the 2018 Air Force Spouse of the Year, a 2019 Top 30 Women Military Influencer, a 2020 Remarkable Woman finalist, a 2021 Force for Change National Award winner, and a 2024 Top 25 Military Pioneer and Changemaker. She is also the creator of National Resilience Day, observed on March 4, and serves as an advisory board member for the University of Texas at Austin Moody College of Communication. She is an Honorary Commander at the U.S. Air Force Academy and remains deeply embedded in the military community.

Through this ambassadorship, Kristen will help Red Star Foundation continue its mission of honoring the forgotten families, creating national recognition for Red Star Families, and building life-saving programs that help prevent suicide before another family is left behind.

About Red Star Foundation

Red Star Foundation is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing suicide among current military, veterans, first responders, and their families while honoring and supporting the families left behind after suicide. Building innovative initiatives like the Red Star Banner, Red Star Voices, peer-to-peer support, Code Red, and national awareness initiatives, Red Star Foundation is building a movement of recognition, connection, and hope for families across America.

Media Contact
Company Name: Red Star Foundation
Contact Person: Matt Mahoney
Email: pr@redstarfoundation.org
City: Clearwater
State: FL
Country: United States
Website: https://redstarfoundation.org/