Nearly 600 people gathered at Kiwanis Park in Tempe Saturday morning to recognize and support those who have lost loved ones to suicide.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention saw an increase of about 100 people since last year at its second annual “Out of Darkness” Community Walk for Suicide Prevention.
Event manager Heather Fahey attributed the increase in support to better planning and new programming this year.
The activities included a three-mile walk around Kiwanis Lake, speakers from the foundation and a sheet of paper with memories of lost loved ones. A poem was read in remembrance of suicide victims and, at the end, 600 balloons were released into the sky.
Fahey said she wanted a way for people to come together with those who have experienced the same situation to honor the lives of their loved ones rather than focus on the sorrow.
“We’re looking to help the community in research and educational programs,” Fahey said. “Arizona is in need of that.”
Dawn Hunter, 41, of Gilbert, attended the walk and is helping coordinate Arizona’s first chapter of the foundation after losing her son to suicide in January 2008.
Hunter said a lot of people at the walk were in different stages of loss, noting that the first year after her son’s death was overwhelming and emotional.
“It’s just good for people to know that they’re not alone in their pain,” Hunter said.
Some ASU students are looking to create a resource similar to the foundation even before it expands to Arizona.
Psychology junior Rebecca Price is working with officials from ASU Health Services and Counseling Centers at ASU to expand its suicide and prevention programs.
“We just want to expand the message that they already have,” Price said. “AFSP wants to bring some of their knowledge, education and research to the field as well.”
Price is still planning how the organization will fit in at ASU, but it is making progress, she said.
She is also looking to implement a program that will educate community assistants in ASU’s residence halls about suicide warning signs for students living on campus.
“I see it all the time,” Price said. “Where students are really stressed out, they’re really depressed over things. We want to get the information out that there are programs to help you if you’re having feelings of suicide or depression.”
Reach the reporter at dbjoraas@asu.edu.
