Parkland College will host the 2019 International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day event Saturday, Nov. 23, 8:15 a.m. to noon in Room U140 (Parkland College Student Union).

Created by an act of Congress in 1999 and sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day is the one day a year when people affected by suicide loss gather in their local communities to find comfort and gain understanding as they share stories of healing and hope. Attending a Survivor Day event is an opportunity for loss survivors to discover that they are not alone in their experience of losing someone they know and love to suicide.

Parkland's program will include a screening of AFSP's compelling documentary Pathways to Healing: Hope after Suicide Loss; panel discussion with suicide and mental health professionals; community resource information; and small-group discussion opportunities for those who have experienced a similar loss. An art activity and a visit with a comfort dog will also be available.

Pathways to Healing: Hope after Suicide Loss follows the family and friends of Chris Taddeo, a young adult who died by suicide. Together, they show the individual experiences a community of people can have after a shared loss: from confusion and denial, to isolation and finding support. Through their various approaches to grief and healing, each journey shares a message of hope, connection and resilience.

Register for this free event at afsp.org/survivor_day/champaign-illinois-3/. For those who are unable to attend a Survivor Day event in person, AFSP hosts a Survivor Day program online at survivorday.org.

For more information, contact Dennis Cockrum.