Organize your own Destination Hope Walkathon

Here are some files to use to organize your own Destination Hope Walkathon.
Click on the links below, and save them to your computer.
They are in Microsoft Word forma so they can be edited., They are TEMPLATES to be used as a guide for your own documents.
If you have problems opening or using the files, contact us at reese@hopeline.com .

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See the movie of the Destination Hope Walkathon

LOCAL QUEEN ANNE COUNTY RESIDENTS WALK

IN THE DESTINATION HOPE WALKATHON

Volunteers from Young Life release the memorial balloons as Chester resident Marty O’Conner looks on.

{Kent Island, MD.} – On Nov. 17, 2007, Zac Sewll, a Kent Island High School graduate and Emilee Kingsley of Queen Anne High School completed a 5K walk, to raise funds and awareness for suicide prevention, education and research programs and support survivors of suicide loss. Net proceeds from Destination Hope event in Queen Anne County, MD benefited the Kristin Brooks Hope Center and the Youth America Hotline 1-877-YOUTHLINE. The walk took place at Cross Island Trail from Terrapin Park to the Kent Narrows. The walk coincided with the National Survivors of Suicide Day as proclaimed by Congress. The walk began with a memorial balloon release as each walker marked the name of a friend or loved one onto a balloon. Matt Windsor of Young Life said a prayer while the balloons were released and then the walk began.

“I got involved with Destination Hope this year to honor the loved ones we have lost to suicide and to help get the Queen Anne County community involved in suicide awareness and prevention. Having lost friends to suicide and watching others deal with their loss, I was inspired to do something about it” stated Emilee Kingsley Co-Chair of the Destination Hope Walkathon.

It is estimated that close to one million people make a suicide attempt each year and that every 16 minutes someone dies by suicide. Depression is the leading cause of suicide. More than 20 million people suffer from depression each year. Tragically, suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among adults 18-65, the third leading cause of death among teens and young adults, the second leading cause of death for college students and accounts for 20 percent of deaths among people over age 65.

The event drew about 40 people from all over the Eastern Shore. Harris Crab House - supplied the tasty lunches and Mac Davis at Shore Signs, supplied 20 street sign motif Warning Signs which many of the walkers were reciting by heart by the end of the walk.
Tami Dilling of Island Secret Garden- provided the lunchroom, and meeting place for a suicide prevention training course after the walk. Matt Windsor of Bay Area Young Life, helped Zac recruit the volunteers to staff the walk. Native Kent Islander Jamie Smith - printed 5,000 wallet cards with the Youth America Hotline number on it and donated them to the cause. Valynda Kingsley, mom of Co-chair Emilee, who owns the From The Heart craft store supplied the ribbons for the walkers. Microbe World’s Chris Condayan took a break from doing stories on the oyster diseases plaguing the Chesapeake’s treasures and filmed a documentary of the walk for the Kristin Brooks Hope Center to help others create similar events

There was a one hour QPR (Question Persuade Refer) training course given at the end of the walk, Doreen O'Conner and her husband Marty walked and participated in the training. Doreen is a school counselor for Matapeake Middle School and she asked that the training be brought to her staff. The training can be taken online at www.qprinstitute.com and at the end of the training there is a test. If you get 75% positive answers you become certified as a "Gatekeeper".

It was a healing and positive event that helped many learn the warning signs. Many of the walkers has lost friends and loved ones to suicide. It was the first such event on the Eastern Shore.

For more information about Destination Hope go to www.destinationhope.info or call 202-536-3200.

About the Kristin Brooks Hope Center and the Youth America Hotline

1-877-YOUTHLINE:

The Kristin Brooks Hope Center is the only national not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to providing direct services to preventing suicide through networking people online, by telephone, support groups and awareness events.

Some of our walkers on the Cross-Island Trail

Reese Butler talking to some participants

Emilee Kingsley Co-Chair of the Destination Hope Walkathon

About the Destination HOPE Walkathon

The founders of 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433) and the Youth America Hotline 1-877-YOUTHLINE (968-8454) have created a walkathon to help honor and remember loved ones that have been lost to suicide in Queen Anne's County. It serves to not only pay tribute to their lives, but to also create awareness, to help erase the negative stigma associated with suicide, and to help try and prevent future suicides. By coming together as a community to show support for families and friends who have lost a loved one, we also stand together in showing that we are not ashamed and that we are dedicated to trying to get more support for our cause.

This walk is called "Destination HOPE " to remember those we have lost to suicide and to help raise awareness that suicide is preventable. The Walkathon will be held on Kent Island, on the scenic Cross Island Trail, starting at Terrapin Park, Stevensvolle, MD at 10:00 am.