The Wesleyan Engaging Leaders through Education, Awareness, and Development (WE LEAD) Invisible Illness team will host a Suicide Prevention Walk on Saturday, April 6. The participation fee is $5 per person. Registration and check-in for the walk will begin at 10 a.m. at Cebe Ross Field located on Wesleyan’s campus.

The opening ceremony will kickoff the event at 11 a.m. Following will be an estimated 1.5 mile walk around Main Street and Florida Street. The Suicide Prevention Walk is predicted to end around 1 p.m. with a closing ceremony in front of Wesleyan’s chapel.

All proceeds will benefit the college’s counseling fund, which aids students in affording the cost of therapy sessions. Eradicating this financial barrier will help individuals access the mental health support they need.

Suicide is a growing epidemic in today’s society and the second leading cause of death among college students.  Obstacles, such as the financial barrier and stigma surrounding mental health disorders, hinder individuals from seeking professional help. The Suicide Prevention Walk is an event purposed to spread awareness on the devastating disease while simultaneously raise money to assist those in combating it.

The WE LEAD Invisible Illness team is a social justice group dedicated to raising awareness and advocating for invisible illnesses. They have strived and made headway on destroying the mental health stigma on Wesleyan’s campus, and their next goal is to integrate their work into the Buckhannon community.

For more information on the Suicide Prevention Walk or to participate, please contact Arin Shatto, WE LEAD Invisible Illness team coordinator, at shatto.am.2015@wvwc.edu or 304-532-8698.

If you are unable to attend but would still like to make a donation, you can at https://suicide-prevention-walk.everydayhero.com/us/suicide-prevention.