Students, faculty and staff from Blue Ridge Community College, Bridgewater College, ��ݮ���� and James Madison University, along with their school presidents, will participate in the “Walk for Hope: Colleges Unite for Depression and Suicide,” on Saturday, March 23, from 9 a.m. – noon at JMU’s Godwin Field.

The walk is free and open to the public. All are encouraged to attend and to offer hope to those affected by depression and suicide.

“Suicide prevention and depression awareness are key concerns for our campuses,” noted the area school presidents in a joint statement. “We fully support initiatives that draw attention to these pressing mental health issues, and are committed to providing support for the people affected by them.”

The event will include music, speakers, refreshments, arts and other activities. Teacher and music facilitator Mike Deaton of Harrisonburg will demonstrate the art of drumming.

The “Walk for Hope” is made possible by the Austin Frazier Memorial Fund, which was established in memory of a JMU student who committed suicide in October 2009.

For further information or to register to walk, visit the .

Julie Hersh stood in front of hundreds of people Saturday morning and explained how she tried to commit suicide three times while suffering through a long bout of clinical depression.

The vast majority of the crowd was made up of local college students. Some came up to Hersh after her speech to relate similar struggles experienced by family members, close friends or in some cases, themselves.

Hersh, who graduated from Harrisonburg High School in 1978 but now lives in Dallas, said this is what events like Saturday’s “Walk for Hope” are all about.

“This is, unfortunately, something that people are afraid to talk about,” said Hersh, an author who travels across the country telling her story. “Freshman year is a very, very common time for a first mental break. I believe if more people understand that … we would have fewer suicides.”

Hersh was the main speaker at “Walk for Hope,” the first ever held in Harrisonburg, and the response was surprising to many.

“This is the first year ever that we know of that all four schools united for something like this,” said , director of the , referring to EMU, James Madison University, Bridgewater College, and Blue Ridge Community College. All of the schools were represented at the walk.

The , set up in memory of a JMU student who committed suicide in October of 2009, paid for the event, which was held to raise awareness of mental illness and suicide, educate the community – and to show those suffering from psychological disorders that they do not have to suffer in silence.

The walk’s planning committee would have been happy with about 400 students, she said.

“We got double,” she noted, explaining that there were more than 800 people at the event.

A short walk from different parts of the city through downtown to the grassy area beside the started off the event.

At least one band from each college then entertained participants while they took part in various activities, such as signing mirrors with encouraging phrases or networking with various community resource vendors.

One woman sitting behind a table was Grace Engle, a senior EMU student who works for the , which provides a range of counseling and family services in Harrisonburg.

“I think it’s really good to have awareness,” Engle said. “Suicide really affects the community, not just the person who commits suicide.”

She said she has had friends who have struggled with depression and other mental health disorders.

Other students who participated in the walk expressed surprise at how many fellow classmates showed up.

“To see that many students willing to show their support off campus was motivating,” said Logan Fellenstein, a sophomore music major at Bridgewater College. “It was a good concept. I hope they can continue [the event] in the future.”

Comer said she expects that to happen given the success of the inaugural event.

Students, faculty and staff from Blue Ridge Community College, Bridgewater College, ��ݮ���� and James Madison University, along with their school presidents, will join together for “Walk for Hope: Colleges Unite for Depression and Suicide,” Saturday, March 31, 9 a.m. – noon.

The walk will bring together students from each of our campuses to a central gathering at the for music, speakers, refreshments and activities. In addition, Julie Hersh, mental health advocate and author of “,” will share her story.

Open to the public, all are encouraged to attend and offer hope to all people affected by depression and suicide.

In a joint statement, the area school presidents said, “We are committed to supporting initiatives on our campuses that shed light on mental health issues and provide support structures to prevent suicide.”

The event is made possible by the .

For more information visit the .

Valley colleges and universities are uniting to fight depression and suicide, and they are doing it in a special way.

��ݮ���� is using origami to raise awareness for suicide and depression.

As an EMU student, Tessa Gerberich, folded one of her many origami cranes, she was reminded of why she is making them.

“The subject is one that is pretty dear to my heart. When I was 13, a cousin that I was very, very close to committed suicide,” said Gerberich.

She’s part of a group trying to make a 1000 cranes for an event called “Walk for Hope.” The idea is to raise awareness for depression and suicide.

“The legend is that if you fold a thousand paper cranes, you can have a wish. This wish is typically connected to health and long life,” said Suzy Hostetler, a representative with Walk for Hope.

Every Valley university is taking part to hit that goal, but students at EMU are getting a head start before the event next week.

The cranes came in many shapes and sizes, and it all went to the same causes.

That was what made doing this so special for the students involved: especially for Gerberich, who was reminded of a friend going through depression as she folded.

“She always really likes when I fold her cranes and send them to her. So I guess I think a lot about her a lot as I do this. So it does mean something to me,” said Gerberich.

One thing organizers love is all the different schools coming together for one issue.

“It’s been a lot of really good work together: which has been a really neat thing to see. To my knowledge, this has not happened with all the schools doing something like this together,” said Hostetler.

Walk for Hope will be held at the Downtown Farmer’s Market in Harrisonburg on Saturday, March 31st from 9 a.m. to noon.