Participants in Gryphon Place's 2018 Suicide Prevention Walk gather in Bronson Park in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The 2022 walk is scheduled to launch from the same location at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24. (MLive file photo)Daniel Vasta
KALAMAZOO, MI — Walkers will take to the streets of Kalamazoo this weekend with a unified goal of building community, as well as raising awareness and funds to aid in suicide prevention.
The 9th Annual Suicide Prevention Walk hosted by the Gryphon Place of Kalamazoo will kick off at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, at Bronson Park, 200 S. Rose St. in downtown Kalamazoo. The marked 5K route will wind through the city and lead back to Bronson Park, where it will conclude, according to a news release from Gryphon Place.
The park will be filled with community resource tables, crafts for kids and more.
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“People might ask, why is the Suicide Prevention Walk important? It’s important because suicide is one of the most preventable types of deaths in our country,” said Gryphon Place CEO Maricela Alcala. “There is one death by suicide every 11.5 minutes in the US. That’s about 45,00 deaths by suicide every year, 45,000 deaths that could have been prevented.
“We walk to save lives, but we can’t do this without you.”
Registration for the walk costs $30 and includes a T-shirt and wrist band. Children under 5 can walk for free, but they will not receive a shirt without registering for the event. Early T-shirt pickup will be available from 4-6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21, at Gryphon Place, 3245 S. 8th St., in Kalamazoo.
All of the money raised through the walk will stay in the community to support the local programs and services offered by Gryphon Place — a local nonprofit that has been around since 1970, and has a mission of helping people through times of conflict and crisis in their lives.
The walk, Alcala said, serves as much more than a fundraiser though, providing a setting for individuals to connect, support each other, raise awareness and learn about resources in the community.
In 2020, there were 1,389 deaths by suicide in the state of Michigan, according to data provided by the Michigan Suicide Prevention Commission annual report, released earlier this year. Of that total, 1,099 were men, 53% were firearm-related, 27% by hanging, 17% by poisoning and the rest by other means.
Warning signs of suicide — according to the Gryphon Place website — include, but are not limited to:
For a full list of suicide prevention resources, visit www.gryphon.org.
The local crisis line for someone contemplating suicide is 269-381-HELP (4357) and the national suicide prevention lifeline is 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Both lines are open 24/7.
To register for the walk, visit www.gryphon.org/spw. Pre-registration for the walk closes at noon, Friday, Sept. 23. Same-day registration will be available, beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, in Bronson Park.
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