Samaritans' 5K Run/Walk for Suicide Prevention

Date: June 23, 2015 Contact: Steve Mongeau
617-536-2460

(Boston) – More than 3,000 runners, walkers, families and team members will support Samaritans’ mission to prevent suicide at the 5K Run/Walk for Suicide Prevention on Saturday, September 26th along the Charles River. Samaritans’ staff, volunteers and 5K participants are excited for the 17th Annual 5K, the only suicide prevention walk in the Commonwealth that provides financial support to the 24/7 crisis lines answered by Samaritans, including calls answered from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
The importance of a caring, compassionate community is emphasized at the event, in which the majority of the participants will be running or walking in memory of loved ones lost to suicide. Money raised from registration fees, pledges and corporate sponsorships will help Samaritans and its volunteers ease the despair, pain and loneliness suffered by so many individuals in our area. Samaritans believes that when people are heard and feel comforted, our entire community benefits.

One of the inspiring teams participating in this year’s event that has experienced the life-changing work of Samaritans is #staygold. Team Captain Candice Dancer, created the team in honor of her sister, Brittany. Candice describes her sister as being “a fabulous aunt to my three children and my sister’s daughter. She was a sensitive, loving, and compassionate person who valued family above all else,”

This will be Candice’s first year being involved with the 5K, however, this event already holds great meaning to her. “I realize there is a very big stigma around mental illness and suicide, and I have found that a lot of people are uncomfortable talking about it. Participating in the 5K feels like an entry way to get people to consider what happened to my sister and actually talk about what happened. I post on Facebook about Brittany a lot, and now that I can post about the 5K people seem more comfortable talking with me about her death. If they don’t want to talk about suicide, they can talk about how I will be completing a long-time goal of running my first 5K. That being said, the stigma is why I post about suicide so much on social media, I want to talk about it openly and freely and make a difference.”

You can help Samaritans’ reach their fundraising goal, and help spread awareness about suicide prevention at this year’s 5K. This year’s event hopes to raise more than $400,000 for Samaritans’ mission to reduce the incidence of suicide in the Greater Boston and Metrowest community. If you would like to register for the 5K or make a donation to #StayGold, please visit their fundraising webpage found at www.samaritans5K.org

This event is not just a memorial of those who have died by suicide, but a celebration of their lives. This day does not have to be one focused solely on mourning, rather aims to make the race, a joyful day. The family fun festival will be an exciting time, filled with children’s activities, face painting, prize giveaways and for the first time this year, food carts!


More about Samaritans

Samaritans is a locally based non-profit organization, and all of the proceeds generated from the 5K stay in Massachusetts to fund life-saving services, including our 24/7 phone and text helplines, Community Education and Outreach, and Grief Support Services for those who have lost a loved one to suicide. All of Samaritans’ services are free to those in need.

Samaritans is a premier suicide prevention organization serving the Greater Boston and Metrowest areas. For over 40 years, Samaritans volunteers have answered more than 1.5 million phone calls to its 24/7 and Samariteens telephone helplines. The agency has also trained more than 4,000 volunteers and instructed more than 100,000 individuals through its community education and outreach programs. Thousands of individuals and families have been helped through the Samaritans’ grief support groups.

For more information on the Samaritans please visit www.samaritanshope.org or contact the business office at 617-536-2460 or info@samaritanshope.org

Samaritans 24/7 helplines:
• Boston: 617-247-0220
• Samaritans Statewide Toll Free Helpline: 877-870-HOPE (4673)
• Teens: 800-252-TEEN (8336)
• Crisis Text Line: Text “LISTEN” to 741-741