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CARLTON — Between 150-200 community members are expected to attend the 14th annual Suicide Awareness Memorial Walk from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 8 at Carlton High School.
The 20-minute, noncompetitive walk will kick-off the free event, followed by a short talk from Cara Keinanen, a news release said. A Carlton County resident, Keinanen has lost multiple family members to suicide and will deliver a message of hope. Masks will be optional indoors, and social distancing will be encouraged both indoors for the speakers, as well as during the walk itself.
The event is held in memory of loved ones who have died by suicide and aims to bring awareness toward prevention. Local resources will be highlighted, including the Cloquet Police Department's embedded social worker program and the Tagwii Recovery Center.
Those who participate in the walk may wear something with the name and/or picture of the person they are honoring, though it is not required, according to the news release. Participants will also be able to tie a ribbon in memory of the person they are honoring to the banner that will be carried on the walk.
Jo Angell said the walk has been important to her following her son's death by suicide.
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"It has been very helpful to have a special day where people come together, supporting each other and walking in remembrance of our loved ones; publicly stating the seriousness of suicide," she said in the news release. "We’re all there for the same reason.”
The annual walk is particularly important as Northern Minnesota has some of the highest suicide rates in the state, said Meghann Levitt, public health educator for Carlton County Public Health and Human Services.
"It is also important for us to provide resources for attendees to pass along to others they know who might be struggling," Levitt said in the news release.
The event is organized by members of the Carlton County Suicide Prevention Task Force.
