By Aidan Mortensen | KOAL News
September is celebrated annually as Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month. In the Castle Country, this means the return of the 13th annual Southeast Utah Walk to Prevent Suicide, colloquially known as the HOPE Walk.
To preview the event and encourage early registration, Suicide Prevention Specialist Amanda McIntosh joined the KOAL newsroom to discuss the walk and what it looks to do for the community.
“The HOPE Walk is an annual event that we hold every year. This is our 13th official walk where we invite our community that has been affected by suicide in many forms, whether it be they lost a loved one to suicide, they survived an attempt or maybe their support system for somebody who has suicidal ideation,” explained McIntosh. “It’s just an opportunity for everybody to come together, feel supported, feel the love and remind ourselves that there is hope for tomorrow and there is hope for a world without suicide.”
Hope takes center stage at the event, uniting those impacted by suicide for a common cause. “It’s all of these survivors or people that have been affected by a suicide loss coming together and recognizing that there is a community within a community, and they make connections, and they find hope, and they feel inspired again and they honor their loved ones. And that’s what makes it so beautiful: it’s this ultimate tribute to the life that was lived before they died. And I’m excited to help be the vehicle to get that.”
Looking behind the scenes, McIntosh shared what the planning process looks like for the event. “People don’t want to know what the behind the scenes look like right now. My office is atrocious, “she joked, before adding, “People and businesses can expect to see our sponsorship packets in their mailboxes in the next few weeks. You know, we’re lining up our speakers. We’re lining up the performances per se to make this an impactful and long-lasting event that people will remember for years on end.”
Speaking on sponsorship opportunities, McIntosh explained what is included in the sponsorship packets. “So there’s a letter from me that just tells them, thank you for supporting our walk and supporting the cause … If a company receives the sponsorship packet and it’s just not something that they can monetarily donate to, if you have in kind donations that you would like to offer, if you have something that maybe you want to put toward a silent auction or something else in the service industry, please let me know. We want to work with our community to find a package that works best for them.”
McIntosh also dove into how this money is utilized to benefit southeastern Utah,” It all comes back to Carbon and Emery and Grand Counties by way of educational pamphlets and giving QPR suicide prevention training. It goes to those after care kits where somebody who has been bereaved by a suicide has a little something to help guide them through the first initial stages of grief and healing. All of that is made possible by the generosity of our community. It’s inspiring and it’s invigorating and it makes me want to do that much more.”
Discussing ways to get involved with the walk, McIntosh provided a plethora of ways to get in contact with her: “You can go to afsp.org/price and register to walk that way. You can create a team and register your family and friends to walk with you. And if you feel the need to raise money so that you can earn an official walk T-shirt.”
She continued,” If you have questions or concerns, you can always reach out to me. My telephone number is 702-419-3471. You can email me at amcintosh@fourcorners.ws or stop by my office. I’m at the administration building for Four Corners, or the old Key West Bank building in Price. And I’d love to help, or I’d love to get you involved as much as we can.”
Closing our conversation, McIntosh stated,” Just come and enjoy the ambience and the reverence and the celebration of our loved ones. Be there to support your family and friends who may have had a rough couple of years or are struggling with their mental health. This is a hopeful event that brings a family together and helps us remember why our loved ones were so special.”
The Southeast Utah Walk to Prevent Suicide will take place on Saturday, Sept. 13, beginning at 9:30 a.m. in the Price City Peace Gardens. More information is available at afsp.org/price.
*For those struggling with thoughts of suicide, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can be reached by dialing 988 any time for support. Resources are also available at utahsuicideprevention.org.