The Front Porch Coalition will once again host its annual Suicide Awareness Walk on Saturday, May 6, 2017. As the number of suicide deaths continue to increase nationally, statewide, and locally, the organization is expanding its efforts in Western South Dakota to meet the needs and demands for its services. Therefore, this year the walk will be held in two locations; at its traditional location at the Old Storybook Island Shelter, 2915 Canyon Lake Drive in Rapid City to include Spearfish at the City Park with a walk towards Spearfish Canyon. The 5K Memorial and Awareness Walk also includes a Fun Run for those who want to participate in the event by running in an informally timed fun run. Both walks start at 9AM with registration starting at 8AM.
Stephanie Schweitzer Dixon, Executive Director of the Front Porch Coalition, talks about the importance of this walk to the organization. The Front Porch Coalition started this walk 15 years ago as a memorial walk for those who lost someone to suicide. It has grown into the organization’s largest awareness event and now largest fundraising event. According to Ms. Schweitzer Dixon, “As the organization and its services grow and the number of people we have lost to suicide has unfortunately increased, it is important to come together to not only work to combat this growing epidemic, but to also support those survivors left behind who are grieving the loss of their loved ones. Those are the primary purposes of this walk; always have been and likely always will be.”
Suicide, which occurs every 11.9 minutes in this country, is the 2nd leading cause of death among 10 to 24-year- olds in America and is the #1 leading cause of death for youth ages 12-18 and ages 18-22 in South Dakota. South Dakota ranks 3 rd in the nation with suicide as the leading cause of death among youth per capita. Middle-aged Americans make up 26.2% of the population but were 38.1% of the suicide deaths in America. It is estimated that five million living Americans have attempted to take their own lives. An estimated 1 out of every 21 Americans are survivors of a suicide of a family member, friend, or loved one; and 147 people are exposed to every suicide death that occurs.
