By Josh Margolis
HAVRE, Mont. (NMB) – The Hill County Suicide Awareness Coalition is set to host the 6th annual Suicide Awareness Walk next week.
The event will take place on Thursday, September 10th on the MSU-Northern campus.
Coalition Chair Amber Spring says due to COVID-19, the normal pre-event activities such as making honor beads and signs are unable to take place.
“So this year we are just really asking people to design their own t-shirts, to bring their own honor beads, to wear a mask and practice social distancing. And we have decided as a coalition that we have made and will be distributing masks out at the walk. Those masks include our logo for the Hill County Suicide Awareness Coalition as well as our theme, which is Connect to Protect.”
This year’s keynote speaker is Big Sandy native Darla Tyler-McSherry, who is the Director of Student Health Services at MSU-Billings and the founder of an advocacy focus group called, “Ask in Earnest.”
“I think that she has a personal message and that she has lost a family member to suicide,” Spring says. “And really sort of highlights something that we don’t often think about, which is how highly the farm and ranch community is affected by suicide.”
The event will begin at 7 PM at the clock tower on campus south of Cowan Hall.
A gentle one-mile walk will take place following the speeches.
