Out of the Darkness community walk to be held Saturday

ISHPEMING — The result of a collaborative effort between Great Lakes Recovery Centers, the Marquette County Suicide Prevention Alliance and other health-oriented groups will take place Saturday.

The annual Out of the Darkness Marquette County Community Walk is part of a national series of similar walks organized by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Participants will make a lap of Ishpeming’s Al Quaal Recreation Area in an effort to raise both suicide awareness and funds for suicide prevention.

“The Out of the Darkness Walk, we felt, was a great way to get out into the community to try to reduce stigma, to allow people the chance to walk with us, to be able to talk about suicide, and to be able to make a difference in their community,” Marquette County Health Department health educator Sarah Derwin said.

The walk also contains unique activities, including a memory table for mementos of loved ones lost to suicide, and a release of memory balloons.

“People are able to get a balloon and put a message in it, and then we’re able to have that balloon released,” Derwin added, “and it can be a very powerful activity for folks that are survivors of suicide or have lost somebody to suicide.”

Activities start at 9:00 a.m. and the walk itself begins at 10:00. Proceeds from the event will be used to help out locally in many ways, including the purchase of materials for the Marquette County Health Department’s Suicide Prevention Resource Library.

To find out more information about how to get involved, head to greatlakesrecovery.org.