Bentonville walk to fight suicide

BENTONVILLE -- More than 500 people are expected to walk this weekend to show support for the fight against suicide.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is holding its second Northwest Arkansas Out of the Darkness Walk on Sunday at Orchards Park, across the street from the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Registration begins at 1 p.m.; the three-mile walk begins at 3 p.m.

Walk registration

Those interested in registering for the Out of the Darkness Walk may do so online at OutOfTheDarkness.org and clicking on “register” at the top of the page. Online registration closes at noon Friday; however, anyone may register in person at the walk from the time check-in begins until the walk starts. Walk donations are accepted until Dec. 31.

Source: Staff report

Arkansas ranks 14th in the nation in deaths attributed to suicide. The state saw 41 suicides for every 100,000 people in 2013, more than triple the national average, according to Susan Hartman, director of crisis services for the Arkansas Crisis Center.

"Suicide prevention and suicide intervention is everybody's concern," Hartman said. "It's up to all of us to be as aware of the problem as possible, to be as knowledgeable about the warning signs as possible, and be as prepared as possible to provide care and concern to individuals around us."

The walk is the foundation's primary source of money. The fundraising goal for Sunday's walk is $20,000, according to Tyler West, a member of the board of the foundation's Arkansas chapter.

The money goes to support advocacy, suicide research and programs the foundation conducts across the state, West said.

"One in five high school students have reported serious thoughts of suicide," West said. "When you step back and look at the classroom with that statistic in mind, it really hits home."

Anyone struggling with thoughts of suicide may call the crisis hotline at 1-800-273-8255. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline receives between 1,200 and 1,500 calls per month originating in Arkansas. About 250 to 300 of those callers are veterans, Hartman said.

Those who have lost a friend or loved one to suicide often find comfort in being around others who have gone through the same experience, West said.

"The grief that follows suicide, there are some real complex emotions in there," he said. "A lot of times it feels like you're all alone, but when you get this many people together for this walk, you get to kind of share that. You get to let that go. It's a healing day. It's a day to remember the ones we lost, and to celebrate those who won the battle."

Michael Poore, superintendent of the Bentonville School District, plans to participate in Sunday's walk. A Bentonville alderman told him recently that four young graduates of Bentonville High School had killed themselves within the past year and a half, he said.

Poore brought up the issue at a recent meeting of Northwest Arkansas school district superintendents.

"It was extremely well received," Poore said. "Many were asking, will you continue to do more on this after the walk, and will you invite us to join in. I was really pleased my colleagues all wanted to be part of the solution to eliminate suicide."

Earlier this year, the Arkansas Legislature passed House Bill 1887, which established the Arkansas Suicide Prevention Council. The council's purpose is to serve as a central body on suicide prevention efforts across the state, according to the bill.

The council's work should include setting priorities for statewide, data-driven, evidence-based and clinically informed prevention measures and providing a public forum to examine current policies, priorities and practices related to suicide prevention, the bill states.

NW News on 09/17/2015

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