Be The Light Walk brings community together for suicide prevention

BROWN COUNTY – The Brown County Coalition for Suicide Prevention will bring the community together for an evening of remembrance, connection and hope at the annual Be The Light Walk, Saturday, Sept. 12, at the KI Convention Center in downtown Green Bay.

“Be The Light is a powerful reminder of what can happen when a community shows up for one another,” said Jennifer Younk, chair of the Brown County Coalition for Suicide Prevention. “Whether someone comes to remember a person they’ve lost, find support, learn how to help someone they love or simply stand beside others, there is a place for them here. Every person who walks with us helps make these conversations more visible and reminds people throughout our community that support is here.”

This year’s keynote speaker is Meg Kissinger, Pulitzer Prize finalist, award-winning investigative journalist and author of While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence.

Drawing from decades of reporting on the mental health system and her own family’s experiences with mental illness and suicide, Kissinger brings a deeply personal perspective to the importance of talking openly about mental health and suicide.

The Be The Light Walk is one part of the Coalition’s year-round work to connect people with support, resources and education around suicide prevention. Funds raised through the event help the Coalition provide QPR suicide prevention training, Hope Squads, survivor support, the LOSS Response Team and community education and outreach throughout Brown County.

The night begins at 5 p.m. with the Survivor Connection and Resource Fair and live music from 7000apart. Kissinger will speak at 7 p.m., followed by the one-mile candlelight walk at 8 p.m. through downtown Green Bay and along the Fox River. The event concludes at approximately 9 p.m.