About Stay For One More Day

The People Who
Answer the Call.

They run toward what the rest of us run from. This is the story of why we started writing back, and who stands behind every letter we send.

Why This Exists

A police officer can walk into the worst moment of someone's life, carry the weight of it in silence, and then be expected to move on like nothing happened. The sirens stop, the scene clears, but the memory stays. Stay For One More Day exists to break that silence with something simple and human: a letter from a stranger saying, “Your life still matters. Thank you. Please stay.”

30%

Versus 20% Of Us

An estimated 30 percent of first responders develop behavioral health conditions such as depression and PTSD, compared with 20 percent of the general population.

243

Lost To Suicide

In 2017 at least 103 firefighters and 140 police officers died by suicide. In the same year, 93 firefighters and 129 officers died in the line of duty.

< 1 min

To Write One

That's all it takes to send a letter. No account, no cost, no name required.

Sources

SAMHSA Supplemental Research Bulletin, 2018 Ruderman White Paper on First Responder Mental Health, 2018

Matthew Griffin

Founder · Stay For One More Day

The Founder

Matthew's Story

Matthew Griffin has spent his life on the other end of the call — first as a Navy Search and Rescue Swimmer, then as an undercover narcotics detective. He knows what the job demands, and he knows what it can quietly take.

He also knows how close it can come to breaking a person. Matthew has spoken openly about his own darkest night, and about the years of PTSD, despair, and healing that followed. He made it through, and ever since, he has carried one message to first responders, veterans, and anyone living with more pain than they can show: the story is not over.

Stay For One More Day is the simplest version of that message. Anyone can write a few honest sentences to a first responder they will never meet. Any firefighter, medic, dispatcher, or officer can receive one. Every letter is read by a real person and matched with intention, because nothing about this should feel automated.

Navy Search & Rescue Swimmer
Former Undercover Narcotics Detective
Bestselling Author, The Journey to Midnight
Speaker on Trauma & Recovery

From jumping out of helicopters as a Navy rescue swimmer to going undercover during the height of the opioid crisis, Matthew Griffin has seen the battle from all sides.

But his toughest fight?

Mental health.

Human, Not Automated

Every letter is read by a person before it goes anywhere, and matched to someone by hand. No bots write our encouragement, and no algorithm decides who needs it.

Privacy Is Non-Negotiable

Writers stay anonymous. Recipients give us only what we need to reach them, never their department, rank, or record. We don't sell, share, or publish anyone's information.

Free, Always

No cost to write, no cost to receive, no cost to a department that wants in. Anything we raise goes to reaching more people, not to putting a price on encouragement.

Encouragement Is Not Treatment

A letter is a hand on the shoulder, not clinical care. That's why 988 and real crisis resources sit one tap away on every page we build.

Advisory Board & Clinical Review

Kind words can still do harm if nobody is watching the language. So we don't do this on instinct alone. Clinicians and peer-support veterans shape how we write, review, and deliver.

How Review Works

Every Letter Passes Through People, Not Filters

STEP 01

Guidelines First

Our writing guidelines are drafted against clinical best practice for safe messaging, so letters encourage without minimizing or advising.

STEP 02

Human Read

Every submission is read in full by a real reviewer. Anything unsafe, preachy, graphic, or identifying does not go out.

STEP 03

Thoughtful Match

Letters are matched by hand to a recipient, at a cadence they chose: once, or weekly for four weeks.

STEP 04

Crisis Path Attached

Every delivery carries 988 and crisis resources, so help is never more than one tap from the encouragement.

Important: Stay For One More Day is not a crisis line, a counseling service, or a substitute for professional care. If you or someone you know is in danger, call or text 988, or call 911 for an emergency.

Two Minutes. One Person.

You don't need the right words. You just need to be the one who said something.

Send a Letter

Receive Encouragement

The People WhoAnswer the Call.