Walk Helps Spread Suicide Awareness
More than 200 Wolf Point students and community members took part in a suicide awareness walk on Tuesday, Sept. 28. The event, which was started at 5:15 p.m., featured a walk from the high school down Main Street.
Erin Loendorf, guidance counselor at the high school, said the project was a group effort of all the schools’ guidance counselors with the hope of increasing awareness to the problem.
“Our goal is to bring awareness about suicide,” Loendorf said.
The Fort Peck Tribes’ Health Promotion Disease Prevention program provided T-shirts to the 216 participants. The Eastern Montana Mental Health preventive services gave away beanie hats and water bottles. Carrie Manning, project coordinator, said a grant from the Methamphetamine and Suicide Prevention Initiative supported the event. The Spotted Bull Treatment Center also provided support.
“We take an active approach with our suicide prevention programs in the school district,” Loendorf said. Montana has ranked near the top of the nation for the highest suicide rate for several years. Roosevelt County ranks near the top of counties in Montana for the highest suicide rate.
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.”
