People took to the streets of downtown Lima on Saturday (9/29/18) to help end the stigma against talking about suicide.Â
The Allen County Suicide Prevention Coalition hosted their annual walk to honor loved ones lost to suicide and to raise awareness of the issue. The event draws a large variety of people, from those whose lives have been touched by suicide to people like Sara Hollar, a Recovery Coach at Coleman Professional Services, who wants to help fight against the stigma of talking about suicide.
"I think that there's always something that we can do to bring awareness to suicidal ideations," says Hollar. "I talk to people on a daily basis who still struggle with things like this and if we bring awareness to it and it doesn't have to be such ashamed secret, then that's what this does."
Along with raising awareness, the event also educated people on what resources are available right here in our community.
"On the coalition itself, we have our local service providers with Coleman Professional Services, Family Resource Center, SAFY Behavioral Health," says Donna Dickman, Director of the Partnership for Violence Free Families. "We have the VA here because we know veterans have their own crisis line and so we have to get that out there too. While we know suicide is preventable, we aren't going to save everybody but we can save more. With education and awareness, we can do that."
Leading the march through downtown Lima was Angie Evans, who lost her son Brady to suicide just two years ago. She says that to fight the stigma, people need to talk to their loved ones who are struggling.
"Listen to what they have to say if they talk about it or mention it, reach out to them," says Evans. "I was always told those who talk about it never do it but I'm here to tell you different. They will do it at some point in time. People need to be heard, they need to be helped, and if we can come out and raise awareness to this, it's a great opportunity."
Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, a statistic similar to the rate of suicides in Allen, Auglaize, and Hardin Counties.
