The Northern Box Elder County Suicide Prevention Coalition is hosting its annual Suicide Awareness Walk on Friday, July 19, at Jeanie Stevens Park in Tremonton.
“The walk is part of a Box Elder Coalition of like minded people trying to bring to light the tragedy of suicide, give peace to those who have dealt with it and do what we can to prevent it, ” said Jenny Schulze, one of the coalition members.
“It is nice to be with other people who understand what people are going through and celebrate the lives of people with them,” she said. “When you get with others, sometimes we get to mourn and remember them.”
Schulze said she looks at suicide as if the individual died from a disease.
“There is mental illness and there are some who look at it as a selfish act. It is not,” Shultze said. “Suicide numbers are high in Utah, and Box Elder County and Cache Valley are higher than the state average.
“We all know someone who is affected by suicide,” she said.” If it has not happened in your family, it has happened to a family you know.”
The walk has been going for nearly a decade and is advertised on their Facebook page, Shultze said.
“We get no funding, we all volunteer our services,” she said. “It’s a community coalition, it’s just a bunch of people coming together.”
Shultze said they had over 300 people come out and walk last year.
The evening begins at 7:30 p.m. with Chalk Art, Beads, and Event Registration. Then at 7:45 p.m., there will be a Pre-Walk Program.
At 8 p.m., the walk begins. They would like everyone to register.