Walk helps raise suicide awareness

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Photo via Google under Creative Commons license

The #HoldOnYouMatter walk intends to bring together the community for a great cause.

Suicide has lost some meaning throughout generations with today’s adolescents desensitized to suicide, by jokes being made in the classroom and on social media. But when it actually happens, there’s no joking.

Many schools in the Bucks County area are affected by suicide, having suffered the loss of students, friends and family.  To help ease the pain, the Bucks County Suicide Prevention Task Force has designated a walk, titled #HoldOnYouMatter, which aims to bring the community together and do something good in lieu of a bad situation.

The Bucks County Suicide Prevention Task Force mission is “through advocacy, education, prevention, intervention, and postvention we will work to eliminate suicide”

The website associated with the walk, www.lenapevf.org/bcsptf-walk, is accepting donations. Walkers who donate or raise a minimum of $10 receive a walker t-shirt.

Representatives of Neshaminy High school, Joe Werner, a social worker, and Anthony Devlin, head of pupil services, came to talk about the walk to Neshaminy’s Gay-Straight Alliance, Spectrum, and Friends Helping Friends clubs. A walk similar to the upcoming one was held at the same location last year, the Out of the Darkness walk.

“Questioning one’s sexuality and/or gender identity are two of the biggest causes of teenage suicide,” Spectrum adviser Sean Daly said. “Spectrum’s participation [in the walk] was a perfect fit.”

The walk will take place on April 30 at Bucks County Technical High School. Registration starts at 9 a.m. and the walk begins at 10 a.m.