Suicide Awareness Walk Attracts Good Turnout
Nearly 200 individuals participated in Wolf Point Schools’ Suicide Awareness Walk on Monday afternoon.
“The goal is to raise awareness plus also create a culture of support for our students,” high school counselor Erin Loendorf said. “As a school community, we support each other.”
The walk was organized by the school district counseling team of Loendorf, Joelle Page, Grant Legare and Angela Figueroa.
The Health Promotion Disease Prevention program provided T-shirts for the event. The Native Connections Suicide Prevention Program for Fort Peck Tribal Health sponsored snacks.
Figueroa thanked Julie Flynn, a grandmother, for stepping up and helping during registration.
The walk featured Wolf Point’s football, volleyball and cross country programs.
According to the Montana Department of Health and Human Services, “Suicide is often surrounded in stigma, shame and misunderstanding, causing many individuals to not seek the help they need. Research has shown that personal and community connectedness can make a significant difference in the lives of those at risk for suicide. Helping to connect a person at risk to a support system, including providing resources to reach out to (friends, family, clergy, therapist, support groups, hotlines, etc.), is a step that anyone in the community can make.”
The Montana Suicide Prevention/ Mental Health Crisis Lifetime is 988 or text MT to 741-741 for free 24/7 help.
