By ABBY LAFOREST

Journal Staff Writer

ISHPEMING — The Marquette County Suicide Prevention Alliance will be hosting their annual Marquette County Walk for Hope from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Sept. 21.

Aiming to spread awareness and help fund prevention/postvention suicide programming in Marquette County, the walk will feature several community organizations, businesses, and community members, with prospective participants able to register now.

The walk committee encourages all community members to attend and recognize suicide prevention, suicide loss survivors, attempt survivors, and the family and loved ones of those who struggle.

Health educator Sarah Derwin from the Marquette County Health Department stated the importance of holding such events in the area.

“I think doing an awareness walk has always been really important in communities …especially in rural communities here … I like to say to support suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. So we have people that come to The Walk for a variety of reasons. But having an event in a safe place with caring and supportive folks around has been shown to be very healing for people, especially if they’ve experienced a loss … I think our community has always recognized that this is something that we can do and come together, so agencies in our community have always kind of recognized that. So even if we’ve had funding or not had funding, there’s always been this kind of agreement that we should always, at very bare minimum, host this event and make sure that people know that we’re having it and that it’s a space for them.”

The funding from the Marquette County Walk for Hope goes right back into the community, Derwin explained, as monies are allocated to help run the alliance’s offered services and resources,

“The main things that we use the funds for, we keep them in Marquette County and that’s really important for people to know. But the funds support two survivors of suicide loss support groups that we are currently running right now … We use the funds to support a lot of evidence-based training in our area too, which is super important … the more people are trained in communities, the lower instances of suicide we have. So we put a lot of money into training and we’ve also used those funds for supplies that we’ve been able to give out to schools and community members too. So it’s just something that people feel really strongly about, to make sure that when they’re donating that the money stays right here.”

Community and connection are also foundational values of the Walk, according to Derwin.

“I think attending (the walk) can be one of those things where there can be a little bit of anxiety or worry about attending,” Derwin said. “It’s an event where when you come, that there’s some degree of understanding and unity there that we have. People there that have lost children, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, and so, sometimes, being in that space and knowing that there’s a lot of people around you that have gone through something really similar can make you feel less alone. It can make you feel like there is this community of support and there are other folks that have maybe felt that kind of pain, but that are still here. Showing that kind of resilience and support can be really, really powerful. Even folks that maybe haven’t been directly affected by suicide, what you’re doing by coming to A Walk is you’re showing ‘I support you. You’re part of my community. I want to help you. I want to be here for you’…It can really reduce that stigma of feeling alone, which in its own way is prevention.”

Derwin mentioned that the Marquette County Suicide Prevention Alliance is always welcoming members who would like to join to discuss, implement, and collaborate on suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention strategies and resources for the community.

Community resources offered by the Suicide Prevention Alliance include free, one-hour suicide prevention trainings to groups, organizations and businesses, as well as Survivors of Suicide grief support groups for adults.

New this year, community members will have the opportunity to submit a picture of a loved one at no cost, and the Alliance will have memorial signs created to be displayed along the walk route. Pictures with first and last names can be emailed to klafave60@gmail.com. If your loved one is a minor, please have the immediate family contact the email for granted permission. The Alliance asks that photos be submitted by Aug. 31 in jpeg format.

The walk will take place at the Al Quaal Recreation Area in Ishpeming, located at 501 Poplar St.

Pre-registration is also encouraged, especially if community members would like a walk shirt. The deadline to register and still order a shirt is Aug. 23. The deadline to register for the event is at 5 p.m. on Sept. 20.

Participants can register for free at runsignup.com/Race/MI/Ishpeming/MarquetteCountyWalkforHope.

If you are looking for services for yourself or loved ones, please call or text the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, or visit their website at 988lifeline.org.

Additional resources:

Crisis Text Line

Text SAVE to 741741

Veterans Crisis Line

Dial/text 988, press 1

LGBTQI+ Crisis Line

Dial/text 988, press 3

Spanish Speakers Crisis Line

Dial/text 988, press 2

Additional inclusive crisis lines for yourself and others

988lifeline.org/help-yourself/

Pathways Community Mental Health Marquette Office

200 W Spring St.

Phone: (906) 225-1181

Fax: (906) 225-7204

Abby LaForest can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 548. Her email address is alaforest@miningjournal.net.