The month of September is National Suicide Prevention Month, so in order to shed light on this national health problem, the MonDak region will be putting on several different suicide awareness walks/runs throughout the month.
The first event in this area will take place on Saturday, Sept. 12, in Watford City. The Suicide Awareness Run/Walk will start at 9 a.m. CDT in the parking lot of Stonehome Brewing Co. There will be routes mapped out for the 5K, 10K, and half-marathon races.
There is a $30 fee for each race; all proceeds from this race will go to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, which is one of the nation’s largest mental health organizations dedicated to building better lives for Americans affected by mental illnesses. To register for this event and/or purchase a suicide awareness t-shirt, you can visit https://www.runreg.com/9582.
The Eastern Montana Out of the Darkness Experience event will occur on Saturday, Sept. 19, at Veterans Memorial Park, Sidney. Walker check-in will start at 9 a.m. MDT, and the opening ceremony will start at 10:15 a.m. Participants can join and create teams; registration is free, and all donations will go to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention - for more information on this specific event, you can visit http://www.afsp.org/easternmt.
“The event will look very different this year, but we are still going forward with having this important event for the community,” stated Nick Kallem, Eastern Montana Out of the Darkness Experience event organizer.
The third suicide awareness event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 26, in Williston. The Williston Out of the Darkness Williston Experience will begin at 10 a.m. and go until 12 p.m. CDT. Registration for this event is free and can be completed online by searching “Williston Out of the Darkness Experience registration” and clicking on the AFSP website.
There will be four separate locations in Williston for participants to meet including the Alien Park, Harmon Park, Spring Lake Park, and Dakota Parkway. “We picked four different locations to ensure that our walkers stay safe and healthy while spreading awareness. We are asking participants to pick one of those locations to walk around from 10 a.m.- noon. There will be t-shirts, honor beads, and water provided to participants at each of those locations,” explained Tarren Rehak, event chair.
“I think more than ever, especially this year because of COVID-19, we need to come together as a community and let each other know that you’re not alone, and there is hope, and we’ll get through these tough times together,” said Rehak.
Although these events might look different compared to previous years, the mission to “Save Lives and Bring Hope to Those Affected by Suicide” has not changed. People who participate in this events join an effort to raise awareness and funds that allow suicide prevention groups to invest in new research, create educational programs, advocate for public policy, and support suicide loss survivors.
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