Walk for HOPE and to help others
The annual Walk for H.O.P.E. event, promoting suicide awareness, as well as hope and healing for those affected by suicide, begins at 5 p.m. Sunday at Dog Beach.
(File photo/CAROLINE LOBSINGER)
SANDPOINT — The community is invited to Walk for HOPE on Sunday.
The annual walk across the Long Bridge on Sunday, Sept. 5, aims to promote suicide awareness, hope and healing, organizers said. This year, there will be both in-person and virtual events for the walk, which begins at 5 p.m.
The walk is sponsored by Hold On Pain Ends, a non-profit that works to bring speakers to connect and guide youth and raise awareness about suicide
Those who want to take part in the in-person event, should meet at Dog Beach (at the north end of the Long Bridge) in advance of the walk's 5 p.m. start time. Walk-ins are welcome, just allow time to register.
Those who prefer a virtual option can walk the bridge on their own — or choose their own path — any time on the day of the event. Participants are encouraged to post their pictures to social media using #walkforhope2021.
"We are determined to bring a culture of others mindedness into our schools and community," the group notes on its website. "It is time to build up, not to tear down."
Hold on pain ends is a message that Jennifer Wyman and family have been spreading since they lost their daughter, Madi, to suicide at the age of 14. To honor Madi, the family launched HOPE and the Walk For HOPE held annual on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend as a way to kick off Suicide Awareness Month.
The goal, Wyman has said, is to spread a message of awareness and hope, that no matter how bad things may seem, there is always tomorrow, there is always someone who cares.
“I love to have as many of us come together and as a community we can walk the bridge and we can remind each other that everybody matters and everybody has their struggles,” Wyman told the hundreds gathered at a previous walk. “You have ups and downs but we can help each other.”
The annual walk is a great way to get that message out — that everyone matters and that there is always tomorrow no matter how bad the problems may seem or the struggles we all go through.
The cost is $25 for adults and $20 for youth. T-shirts will be given to all registered walkers with scholarships available upon request. In addition, the group hands out bright blue bracelets — each with a secret message, each capable of saving a life.
On the outside are the words “smile” and “Hold On Pain Ends” — the words behind the group’s name. On the inside, however, is a lifeline for everyone: “Crisis? Text 741-741” — the Suicide Prevention text line.
At the end of the walk there will be music and food for a time for participants to connect.
Information: walkforhopesandpoint.org