September is National Suicide Awareness Month and Long Island Crisis Center will be holding its 8th Annual “Let’s Walk, Let’s Talk…Stepping Together to Prevent Suicide” on Sunday, Sept. 18, on the Long Beach Boardwalk at Laurelton Blvd. to observe.
Suicide, a leading cause of death in the United States, increased by 24 percent from 1999 to 2014, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This increase was seen in both men and women and across all ages. For young people (ages 13–24), it is the second leading cause of death.
“For the last seven years, the walk has been Long Island’s culminating suicide prevention awareness event,” explained Executive Director Linda Leonard. “In what’s become a yearly tradition for many, the walk allows people from across Long Island to come together, to walk together and to spread this message: ‘It’s Okay to Ask for Help’. And, in light of the startling statistics, suicide prevention has to be a community effort.”
Let’s Walk, Let’s Talk is a yearly walk and fundraiser hosted by Long Island Crisis Center. Since 2009, The walk has been an opportunity for people from across Long Island to come together, walk together, and raise awareness of suicide prevention in our community.
Visit www.longislandcrisiscenter.org/thewalk to register for the event. Onsite registration will begin at 10:30 a.m. on the boardwalk at Laurelton Boulevard. Call 516-826-0244 for information.
