ENTERPRISE — The Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness will be holding its second annual Out of the Dark luminary vigil Saturday, Sept. 10, in honor of National Suicide Prevention Month.

The event coincides with World Suicide Prevention Day, a yearly worldwide awareness event geared towards spreading a singular message — suicide can be prevented.

Tosca Rawls, the center’s public relations and development director, hopes the event will allow community members to remember those who they have lost, bring people together, and perhaps foster hope by showing that support is readily available.

For the team at WVCW, this year’s vigil is just one of the many suicide prevention education and outreach efforts it provides for residents in Wallowa County.

“Our community has been deeply affected by a rise in completed suicides in the last two years,” Rawls said. “We also just want to shed some light on the issue and reduce the stigma in talking about it.”

Those who attend the vigil can expect to see hundreds of bags, filled with battery-powered tea lights, illuminating the lawn and walkways in front of the Wallowa County Courthouse in Enterprise.

Rawls said last year’s vigil was a powerful way to show just how many people have been affected by suicide. She noted that, for the moment, the center plans to make it an ongoing annual event.

“I think that when people saw the amount of lights, it had a real impact,” she said. “I think that it gave people an opportunity to remember those who had been lost.”

Between Aug. 17 and Sept. 7, community members are encouraged to visit locations around Joseph and Enterprise to pick up bags to decorate for the vigil. The bags can either be decorated on-site, or personalized and returned before Sept. 7.

Last year, Rawls said the bags were covered in messages and noted remembering those who had been lost, pictures of hearts and rainbows and messages of hope.

Displays with bags to decorate for the event will be at the following locations: Wallowa Memorial Hospital lobby, the Josephy Center, Enterprise’s Building Healthy Families, the Enterprise Public Library, Winding Waters Clinic, Wallowa Public Library or the Hearts for Health Building at 606 Medical Parkway, Enterprise.

This vigil is one of many that will be held across the country to bring awareness to suicide prevention and offer support for community members who have been impacted by suicide. Rawls said the event will begin at dusk, and that there is no formal schedule.

“People can absolutely come and go as they would like,” she said.

WVCW dedicated its work in 2022 and 2023 to suicide prevention education and outreach. They have held several free classes and trainings — open to the public — surrounding how to recognize signs of suicide, talk to those at risk and get help for individuals in crisis.

“Our hope for impact is that we can continue to raise awareness around suicide prevention and to focus our efforts on providing treatment.”

If you or someone you know is seeking local crisis support, call Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness Crisis Line at 541-398-1175. For anyone in Wallowa County who isn’t in crisis but is seeking additional resources, the WVCW has same-day service available 541-426-4524.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.

For more information or questions about the event, contact Tosca Rawls or Amy Busch at 541-426-4524 ext. 1031. Visit the Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness website at wvcenterforwellness.org for a current list of upcoming suicide prevention and education events.