Carson City will have its first Suicide Prevention Walk on Saturday to raise awareness and help for those impacted by suicide.
The Walk In Memory Walk For Hope event will be a three mile walk at the Korean War Veterans Memorial Park for people who may have been lost someone to suicide or may the thinking of it themselves. Kathy Harris, suicide prevention specialist for Nevada Urban Indians Inc. said that they will be providing resources for anyone considering suicide as well as information to help spot suicidal tendencies.
“There is one in Douglas County, Lyon County and Reno and we decided we needed a walk in Carson,” Harris said. “It is in memory of people with loved ones that they lost to suicide to remember that person.”
They will provide different colored beads to participants to signify who the person lost, for example, there will be red, white, and blue beads for anyone who was a veteran.
At the event, there will be speeches from various organizations such as the Veteran Research Center and Partnership Carson City, and the walkway will be lined with suicide statistics.
“People should go to support the cause and know how to spot suicidal people because they won’t always come out and say that they want to take their life so we can give out some information (to try to help spot those tendencies).”
To participate, register online at nvsuicideprevention.org. Each registration is $20 and includes a free T-shirt. The walk starts at 10 a.m.
In Dayton, the event begins at 10 a.m. at the Dayton Community Center, 170 Pike St., with registration, information booths on area resources, and T-shirts and light breakfast snacks for walkers.
Before the walk, keynote speaker Kim Desroches of Dayton will describe some of the region’s many suicide prevention resources that can help instill hope and promote healing. Kim is part of the History Faculty at Western Nevada College, and is a certified safeTALK trainer and a probationary ASIST trainer who has been a volunteer in suicide prevention since 2006, and a trainer since 2013.
Kim’s talk will be followed by a “Walk in Memory, Walk for Hope” through Old Town Dayton. After the walk, participants will choose bulbs to take home to plant in memory of loved ones and in hope for the future.
Those who register for the special event are joining a nationwide community of thousands of people who are participating in the “Walk in Memory, Walk for Hope.” In Nevada, the event is sponsored by the Nevada Coalition for Suicide Prevention and supported by the Nevada Office of Suicide Prevention, along with many community partners.
In Dayton, Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey is one of the community partners helping to organize a walk, and director Christy McGill encouraged people to “ask your family, friends and co-workers to walk as a team. You’ll be amazed by how many people want to help.”
Misty Allen, Suicide Prevention Coordinator, at Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health’s Office of Suicide Prevention, explains, “We have greatly increased efforts in Nevada to educate people about what to look for and how to help if someone is struggling with thoughts of suicide. Events such as ‘Walk in Memory, Walk for Hope’ assist in this goal by bringing the Nevada Coalition for Suicide Prevention, community members, and other partners together in raising awareness.”
Registration: A printable registration form, or register onsite the day of the event. For more information on times and locations for each community walk in Nevada, plus the Walk registration form, please visit the Nevada Coalition for Suicide Prevention website and click on the “print a registration form here” spot at the bottom of this page: https://www.nvsuicideprevention.org/wmwh.php