Suicide prevention event returns for second year

CROWN POINT | Dan Whitford is at it again. Following a successful first year in 2024, Whitford's passion project and signature event, the Laura Whitford Memorial Mental Health Break Suicide Prevention and Awareness Day, will return this summer. Inspired by the loss of his mother, the event is Whitford's way of combatting suicide and taking a stand against the act. On Sunday, June 8 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., rain or shine, Crown Point's Veterans Memorial Park will play host to a day meant to inspire and unite. "As always, it is more about getting the numbers out, and making it so that talking about suicide awareness and prevention doesn't have such a stigma around it," Whitford shared. "Many people feel if it's out of sight, it is out of mind, and if you don't talk about it, it won't happen. Obviously that is not a good practice." And the numbers don't lie, suicide is becoming more of an epidemic as the years roll on. And shockingly, recent data is pointing to a disturbing fact- suicide has become more prevalent among children than adults. According to the Yale School of Medicine, suicide deaths among 10 to 24 year-olds increased by 62 percent from 2007 to 2021, with research released this summer having found that suicide is rising dramatically in preteens as young as eight years old as well, with an 8.2 percent annual increase from 2008 to 2022. "It used to be that you went to school and if you get bullied, when you went home it was over for the day," Whitford reflected. "Now, bullies can get at you anywhere thanks to social media. They can use AI to create false images, fake nudes, and put them everywhere. Even TikTok challenges can be extremely harmful." Whitford, who is a United States Veteran who served 13 years in the Army and performed three tours in Iraq, also said that suicide among veterans is staggeringly high. "The suicide numbers on the kids and the numbers on veterans are pretty much hand in hand- there is obviously some sort of trauma somewhere," he observed. That's why bringing a suicide awareness and prevention event to the area is a cause close to Whitford's heart. Having experienced the heartache first-hand of losing someone he loves, the event organizer is determined to tackle the topic head on in the North Country and offer a beacon of light, and hope. "I am looking forward to getting more people to come out and for more vendors to participate," Whitford said. "I am trying to make this bigger every year to where it starts to take on a life of its own- I want this to be a permanent thing in my mom's memory." Like last year, Homeward Bound Adirondacks (a Saranac Lake-based non-profit dedicated to assisting veterans and a great advocate against suicide) has been instrumental in helping pull the day together. There will be a memorial walk, complete with wooden lighthouses in which people may write the name of someone they hold close to their heart and put it on display. Local Girl Scouts will be on hand with carnival games, food will be provided by Dockside Cafe, and live music will be performed by Whitford's cousin Rob Harper, as well as Whitford's band "Living the Dream" (also performing on July 2 in Ticonderoga and July 31 at the Addison County Fair) and JD Michaels Entertainment. Vendors of all types are welcomed and encouraged to come, with Whitford hopeful they can use the day to promote their own organizations and introduce themselves to the public. All drinks will be courtesy of State Farm for attendees. "There is something for everybody here," Whitford promised. "It is a day set aside for positivity, a day set aside for someone who has lost someone due to suicide. It is something different, there is not a lot that goes on in this area so the more positive things we can do the better for the local community." Vendors or volunteers interested in participating on June 8 are encouraged to email laurawhitfordmentalhealthbreak@gmail.com. For more information on Homeward Bound Adirondacks and its mission, please visit https://homewardboundadirondacks.org/.

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Suicide prevention event returns for second year

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