Long Island Crisis Center to Introduce "Wall of Remembrance" at 8th Annual Suicide Awareness Walk on September 18th

LongIsland.com

Long Island Crisis Center will be hosting its 8th Annual Let’s Walk, Let’s Talk… Stepping Together to Prevent Suicide event on Sunday, September 18th.

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This casual and child-friendly walk allows individuals and families to come together with the common goal of curbing suicide rates on Long Island.

Long Beach, NY - August 24, 2016 - Long Island Crisis Center will be hosting its 8th Annual Let’s Walk, Let’s Talk… Stepping Together to Prevent Suicide event on Sunday, September 18th on the Long Beach Boardwalk at Laurelton Blvd.  Each September, this casual and child-friendly walk allows individuals and families to come together with the common goal of curbing suicide rates on Long Island.

“Since 2009, The Walk has been an opportunity for Long Islanders to come together, walk together, and raise awareness of suicide prevention in our community,” explains Executive Director Linda Leonard.  “For us, it is also a way to spread the Crisis Center’s longstanding message that it’s okay to ask for help - especially in light of the statistics released by the CDC that suicide has increased 24% in the last 14 years.”

With hundreds of individuals expected to attend, this year’s Walk will be introducing an important new tradition: a Wall of Remembrance.

Family and friends of those who have died by suicide are invited to post a photo, a letter, a poem, or memorabilia of the loved one they have lost. This Wall of Remembrance will be kept at the Crisis Center's offices during the year and be brought to each year's Walk.

“For those who have been personally touched by suicide, The Walk has always held special meaning as a day of support, community, and healing,” explains Director of Development, Fran Karliner.  “The Wall of Remembrance was conceived in that same spirit – allowing friends and family to grieve together and honor the lives of the loved ones they have lost.”

Online registration is available here.  On-site registration will take place on September 18th starting at 10:30 a.m.  All are asked to bring their special memento to become a part of the “Wall of Remembrance” on the day of the Walk. (For more information, call 516-826-0244.)

Commenting on the broader significance of creating a “Suicide Survivor’s Space,” Karliner closed with this: “The Wall of Remembrance is more than a collection of photos and letters.  It is a way for individuals and families to say with one voice, ‘you may be gone, but you are not forgotten’.”