7th Annual Eastern Montana Out of Darkness Walk To Fight Suicide Set For Sept. 21

The 7th Annual Eastern Montana Out of the Darkness Walk to Fight Suicide, 2024 will be held in Sidney, at Veterans Memorial Park, on Saturday, Sept. 21. Please support the Eastern Montana Walk to help #stopsuicide.

Events begin at 9 a.m. Come to visit the resource tables, pick up honor beads, participate in a memory activity, and visit the photo booth. The opening program will start at 10:15 a.m., followed by the walk. Come together with us in community to raise hope and awareness for those impacted by suicide.

Nick Kallem and a dedicated team of community members came together to start the Eastern Montana Out of the Darkness Walk. Nick lost his younger sibling Zack at the young age of 20 on Sept. 16, 2011. This led his family to find a way to help others not suffer the same loss they did. The Kallem family walked in the Missoula Out of the Darkness Walk in 2013, which is when they found out that this was going to be the last suicide awareness and prevention walk in Missoula. Nick and Zack's mom Nancy Yates was able to bring the walk back to Missoula in 2016 and has been leading the walk to continued success. The first Eastern Montana Out of the Darkness Walk was in 2018 and Nick's family has made it their mission to continue to raise hope and awareness that suicide is preventable.

National suicide prevention week is Sept. 8-14. This week serves as a powerful reminder that there are steps, we all must take in looking out for a loved one, the people in our community, and those who have been impacted by this leading cause of death.

If you have a loved one that is struggling with their mental health, suggestions from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention are to pause and listen, tell them that their loved, and share that there's hope.

Join us in our Out of the Darkness Community Walk for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Community walks give people hope, hope that there's help out there. An anonymous participant said, "I walk because it gives me hope that other families can be spared the pain of suicide loss".

To register for the walk go to asfp.org.