Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Houghton High School 11th-graders Kaylynn Happala and Bayley Megowen decorate rocks with inspirational messages prior to the fifth annual Suicide Prevention Walk in Houghton Saturday.

HOUGHTON — Dozens of community members walked across the Portage Lake Lift Bridge Saturday to raise awareness about suicide and encourage people in need to talk to others.

Saturday’s was the fifth annual Suicide Prevention Walk, put on by Houghton/Keweenaw Communities That Care. The goal is to “stop the stigma in the 906,” said Lisa Simpson, Communities That Care coordinator for Dial Help.

“We want to get the word out to the community that maybe we can watch out for each other, we can find places that are safe spaces, let teens and adults talk and open up that dialogue,” she said.

People wrote inspirational messages on rocks and wrote memories on flowers, which were then placed in a memorial garden by the amphitheater.

Shannon Bradsberry of Houghton had lost a friend to suicide, and survived her own attempt. She said events like Saturday’s help make the community aware how important an issue it is.

“It’s not just something you hear in the movies or TV,” she said. “It happens to anyone. No one’s safe from it.”

Volunteers from a Houghton High School English class and the football team helped out, as did members of the Calumet High School Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC).

“Rain or shine, it didn’t matter,” Simpson said. “We were going to see this through.”

Simpson encouraged people to call Dial Help at 800-562-7622 or 906-482-HELP, or text 35NEEDS (906-356-3337).

Saturday’s guest speaker was Rich Simpson, whose uncle committed suicide when Simpson was 10. His uncle’s son also later committed suicide 25 years later.

“I believe it was very much because of the fact that we weren’t allowed to speak about the sucidei that my uncle completed,” he said. “It was hush-hush. It wasn’t able to be discussed, it wasn’t able to be brought into the open.”

He discussed some of the warning signs. People might talk about wanting to die, or feeling like a burden. They can withdraw from friends and family, or start giving away possessions.

Little acts of kindness, such as talking to someone, or even helping them carry their groceries, can have a bigger impact than people realize, he said.

“Don’t be afraid to talk to friends,” he said. “Be a good listener. Encourage others. If you suspect that somebody is truly in a bad situation where they’re considering attempting suicide, don’t leave them alone. Get help. Talk to anybody you can call, reach if you can … you breaking through that fear, breaking through that stigma may save someone’s life.”

The walk across the bridge was met with appreciative horn honks or people yelling encouragement from their cars.

“You never know what’s going across the bridge, and people have their opinions,” Lisa Simpson said. “But this was such a good event. I’m glad people were honking for good.”