Valley Residents Walk for Suicide Prevention
The first annual Coachella Valley “Out of the Darkness Community Walk” to prevent suicide took place Saturday morning at Civic Center Park in Palm Desert.
The event was hosted by a new organization to the Coachella Valley, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, or AFSP.
More than 200 walkers showed up wearing t-shirts remembering their loved one who took his or her life by suicide. KESQ Newschannel 3 Anchor Karen Devine was a main speaker at the event.
A number of people took the stage to tell their heart breaking stories of loss and to remind the on-lookers they are not alone in their grieving and pain. Piles of shoes were placed at the bottom of the stage to represent the people who took their own lives.
The CK Dance Troupe lightened the mood with some beautiful routines. There was a raffle and a plea for more people to volunteer locally and help create an AFSP chapter here in the valley.
