Annual Out of the Darkness Community Walk to take place this weekend

ISHPEMING — Saturday, September 7, the local chapter of a national organization will hold an event in Ishpeming to raise money and awareness for an increasingly important cause.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention holds events called Out of the Darkness Community Walks all across the country every September. The Marquette County Health Department will host a local Out of the Darkness Walk at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday at the Al Quaal Recreation Area in Ishpeming. The walk is a way to bring the community together in support of those affected by suicide, and in remembrance of those lost to it.

“Really what this day represents to a lot of people in our community is a day to come together to remember those that they have lost,” said Health Educator Sarah Derwin of the Marquette County Health Department, “or to celebrate those that are struggling that are still here with us, and that there’s a community that supports them. So we get a lot of healing that happens at the walk on Saturday.”

The Marquette County Health Department hopes that this walk will help to start conversations about suicide and suicide prevention. They also aim to bring hope to those who may be struggling.

“I think it’s really important to lower stigma and to realize that suicide is something we’re talking about,” said Derwin. “It’s also important to show the hope in suicide prevention, and that we talk about this, and that as a community we say we are here for people. We want to help people get assistance that they might need. It can really help people that might be struggling, so I really think it’s powerful for our community to see that this is going on and to know that there are many people in all sectors of our community that support suicide prevention.”

If you would like to sign up for the walk or get involved in any other way, you can find more information here.