On average in Utah, two people die as a result of suicide every day, with an additional 15 people being treated for suicide attempts daily according to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. Along with this sobering statistic, Utah’s suicide rate has been consistently higher than the national rate for more than a decade. These statistics are worrying, however, there are organizations within the state looking to help fight against this public health crisis, one of those being the HOPE Squad of Carbon, Emery and Grand Counties.
Amanda McIntosh a suicide prevention specialist from the organization sat down with Castle Country Radio to talk about an upcoming event for the HOPE Squad, the annual Southeast Utah HOPE Walk.
Opening up our conversation, we talked about what the HOPE Walk, which takes place on Sept. 14, entails,” Every year we just get together with our community partners and welcome our survivors of suicide loss and anybody that is struggling or has struggled with suicidal ideation or depression or whatever the case may be, to come out and come together and celebrate life and the loved ones that we’ve lost, and remember that they were more than how they died, that they were our loved ones and sharing their story.”
Next, McIntosh spoke about how to register for the event,” They can always go to our walk page, which is AFSP.org/price, and that will take you right to the walk page. And it also has my contact information on there. The website has how to register to become a walker or to register to be a part of a team and how to fundraise. It also has a day of event information, the activities that we have, as well as other participants so that you can see who will be out there joining you in this walk.”
A big aspect of this event is the fundraising that goes into it, with participants who fundraise $150 being able to get this year’s Out of the Darkness Walk T-shirt. But you get more than just a T-shirt McIntosh explained,” I think that the important part is every dollar that’s raised from our walk comes right back to our community by way of the literature that we table with and the training that we can give. It also provides money to continue the research into suicidology and provides resources to our healing connections or healing conversations program with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.”
Another aspect of the HOPE Walk this year will be the honor beads, which are beads with specific colors to show each personal connection to the cause, with the colors and what they represent being:
- Blue for supporting the cause
- Purple for the loss of a relative or friend
- Teal for a loved one who struggles
- Green for personal struggles
- Orange for the loss of a sibling
- Gold for the loss of a parent
- Silver for the loss of a military member or first responder
- Red for the loss of a spouse or partner
- White for the loss of a child
- Rainbow to honor the LGBTQ community
“It’s been the last three years where the Southeast Utah Health Department, the Hope Squad of Carbon, Emery and Grand Counties has partnered with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to spread our messages farther and wider within our community, in our state and the nation.” McIntosh explained,” and wearing the honor beads and looking out into the crowd and seeing other survivors that share similar colored beads with you, it helps breakdown that wall of, “hey, I see you. I’ve been there, too. I know the loss that you’re feeling,” and we can connect on a deeper level.”
For businesses who want to be involved, McIntosh explained how they can get involved with the walk,” These are your, you know, community members. They’re your grocery store clerks. They’re you’re your mail carrier. They’re your restaurant server. All you know, we all have a connection to suicide.” McIntosh continued,” And so by inviting our community businesses to be a part of this, it’s just allowing them to say, “Hey, I love you. I want you to know that I’m here and I support you.” And in return, we advertise for that company. So we have a walking banner. We have the logos that go on the back of the shirt. And then during the walk, we talk about our business sponsorships and we put it on the walk page. So there’s something in it for the business, too.”
“I just always want to let the community know that we do love you. We are here for you. We are more than happy to help you get connected to resources, whether that be counseling or, you know, anything that you need.” McIntosh said in the closing moments of our interview,” And hopefully by the end of this, you’ll feel a little bit more hopeful about the trajectory of our suicide prevention plan.”
The Southeast Utah HOPE Walk takes place on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 9:30 a.m. starting in the Price City Peace Gardens. For more information, you can visit the HOPE Squad’s Facebook page or the walk’s webpage.