ILWACO — High school students and staff will join with family, friends and community members this Friday morning for the first-ever Hope Walk in support of suicide prevention.

The Hope Walk is scheduled to kick off at 7:45 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 20, with the one-mile route beginning at Ilwaco High School. The Hope Walk coincides with Suicide Prevention Month, which falls during the month of September.

“We as a school community will be walking in solidarity to show our students, families and community members that they are not alone, and that we see, hear and value them,” said Travis Krueger, the school’s new counselor.

“It is my hope that we will strengthen connections, and cultivate a sense of resiliency and hope through this walk,” Krueger added. IHS Principal Sheena Burke is hopeful that the Hope Walk can become an annual staple at the high school during Suicide Prevention Month.

If you or someone you know has thoughts of suicide, immediate help is available. Call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org, to speak to a trained crisis counselor offering support.

Facts about suicide, courtesy of the National Alliance on Mental Illness:

• About 22% of high school students report having serious thoughts of suicide;
• Suicide is the second leading cause of death among children age 10-14, and the third leading cause of death among those 15-24;
• About 79% of all people who die from suicide are male;
• Nearly half, 46%, of people who die by suicide had been diagnosed with a mental health condition, although research suggests that 90% may have experienced symptoms of a mental health condition.