This story has been updated to correct the number of suicide cases in Leon County for 2021.
- Sunday was the second annual suicide prevention walk in Tallahassee.
- Over 200 people came out to show support for the cause.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT
Coming together to prevent suicide… I'm Terry Gilliam, your neighborhood reporter at Tom Brown Park.
I checked with Florida Health Charts…
Leon County has seen 42 suicides in 2021. The entire state of Florida recorded 3,325 suicides in 2021.
Now, members of the community are coming together to end one leading cause of death.
“Unfortunately, so many people do live with mental health… there’s so many things that go on with our everyday lives…”
That was Walk Chair, Ann Marie Curry. She tells me how important mental health is.
Sunday, many community members came out to join together for the second annual out of the darkness walk.
While there, I got to chat with curry about the event and heard her story…
“Back on eleven-nineteen of 2020, I lost my 15-year-old son to suicide…”
It’s something that drove curry to be a part of the A.F.S.P… American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
“I wanted to find something to fill the void; something to keep my mind busy and I also wanted to find something that would reach our children and the community.”
Reaching the community is what the out of the darkness is designed for…
It’s also a fundraiser that goes back to research, and school clinical programs.
“The most healing thing that I did for myself was getting involved with this organization and helping others.”
Wendy Thompson is the area director for the panhandle chapter for the A.F.S.P…
She’s also a loss survivor. Thompson tells me she lost her father to suicide when she was just 13.
“There’s an immediate connection, a bond, and hopefulness. We’re all here, we know we’re not alone, we’re supporting each other…”
Support is what both Thompson and curry can agree on… over 200 people registered for the walk, and it's something curry finds joy in…
“I have chills now… it’s just very humbling when the community comes together.”
