Suicide awareness stressed
A crowd gathered Wednesday evening at Diamond Park in Butler for an event to remember those lost to suicide and to support those affected by it.
The Suicide Awareness Remembrance Rally began at 5 p.m. and was presented by the Butler County Suicide Coalition, which works with schools, churches, veteran groups and social services to coordinate suicide prevention efforts in the county.
The event featured several speakers who discussed how suicide affected their lives. They spoke in front of the park's fountain, which was lined with 23 pairs of shoes representing the 23 lives lost to suicide in Butler County last year.
Each pair of shoes was accompanied by a sheet of paper denoting the age and gender of the person represented. Nineteen pairs represented men, four represented women, and according to Amy Peters, the director of the coalition, 57 percent of those who committed suicide in the county in 2016 were over the age of 45.
Peters also discussed the coalition's need for help in working toward a solution to the problem.
“We need a lot of help,” she said. “We're not above going outside of the box.”
Those interested in joining the Butler County Suicide Coalition can attend its meetings, which are held the first Wednesday of each month from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Butler County Human Services Building, 124 W. Diamond St.
