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Hundreds of participants gathered outside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City on the Boardwalk for the annual Atlantic-Cape Out of the Darkness Walk. The suicide prevention awareness event took place during National Suicide Prevention Month.
The event focused on remembrance, support, and access to help for people affected by suicide loss or mental health struggles.
Elizabeth Clemens, executive director of the New Jersey American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, said the walk is about
“connection, healing, hope and community.”
Organizers said the Atlantic-Cape event has grown into the state’s largest Out of the Darkness Walk. Hard Rock Casino employees and local families took part alongside other supporters.
Families and supporters shared why they joined
Lynette Morales, 55, of Mays Landing, attended the event with her family. She wore a shirt bearing a photo of her son, Josean Jorge. She said Jorge died by suicide at age 26.
Morales said she returns to the walk to raise awareness and encourage people in crisis to seek support. She said she does not want other families to experience the same struggles. She also urged anyone who cannot turn to relatives to reach out to organizations and crisis lines instead.
Participants also wore color-coded honor beads showing different connections to suicide loss or mental health challenges. The colors reflected different relationships to loss:
- white for the loss of a child
- gold for a parent
- orange for a sibling
- purple for a friend or relative
- red for a spouse or partner
Hard Rock setting connected the event to the Boardwalk community
Charlene Maycott, 61, a special representative with Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, said she took part in the walk for the sixth time. She joined in memory of a friend. She also spoke openly about using the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline herself during a difficult period.
Maycott said calling 988 can help people who feel overwhelmed and do not know what to do next.
The walk again placed a major public-awareness event on the Boardwalk at an Atlantic City casino property.
If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides free, confidential support.
Source: As reported by Michael Bautista.
