Lake Stevens School District web site: lkstevens.wednet.edu/

Granite Falls School District web site: gfalls.wednet.edu/

Lake Stevens resident and 2011 LSHS graduate Juliana Borges is organizing an “Out of The Dark” suicide prevention walk at the University of Washington. 

Last spring Borges lost her friend and LSHS classmate Ben Clark to suicide and she is organizing the event in Clark’s memory.

Out of the Darkness Campus Walks are 3 - 5 mile walks that take place in communities across the country, with the proceeds benefiting the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

In the United States, a person dies by suicide every 15 minutes, claiming more than 36,000 lives each year. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students, and the third for youth ages 15-24, with adolescent depression -undiagnosed, untreated or both- as the number one cause.

Borges wants the Lake Stevens community to be aware of this opportunity to be involved in raising awareness and money for the very important issue of suicide prevention.

Clark’s mother, Beth Adolphsen,  is walking along Borges at this event. “I am walking in loving memory of my Ben, to honor the 6659 days that he lived and loved.   I am walking to honor those that we have already lost to suicide. And I am walking to raise awareness with the hope that we help those at risk. I love and miss you so much, Ben,” Aldophsen said.
The event will take place at Denny Field at the University of Washington in Seattle on Saturday, April 14 from 10 a.m. to noon. Check in will be from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

There is still time for you to register, and if you can’t walk you can still donate to the cause and Clark’s memory by contacting Juliana Borges or Jo McNeal at jmcneal@afsp.org or 425-482-0965.