COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M's Counseling & Psychological Services Department held their third annual "Not Another Aggie" Suicide Awareness Walk on Tuesday.
The walk coincided with Suicide Awareness and Prevention Day and was started to make sure community members who are dealing with mental health issues know they have a place to go.
“It was really a walk that came together from a group of students that were called ‘Aggies for Living’. They really just kind of got together ... to honor September which is suicide awareness month,” said Santana Simple, the Assistant Director of A&M Counseling and Psychological Services.
“The thing that I think is so powerful about this walk is that for anyone who is having thoughts of suicide or just struggling to know that hey, there are people in this community who care, and I think the walk gives a physical representation of that.”
After a performance from a live percussion group, the walk started with a vigil with a moment of silence and candle lighting that symbolized the event's connection with World Suicide Prevention day.
To Simple, the event was “just to really just have that reflection of how important of an issue that suicide is. It’s not only impacting our campus. It’s impacting the world... and to really just let people know that there’s people here who support you,” she said.
That support for students is around all year.
They can make appointments with the A&M Counseling and Psychological Services or show up any time between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. if they are experiencing any stress, trauma etc.
To find out more about the services they offer, visit their website or Facebook page.