Students in attendance at a previous annual Survivors of Suicide Loss Luminary on the South Oval. Credit: Courtesy of Laura Onianwa
On Thursday, in honor of International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day, the Suicide Prevention Program will host its annual Survivors of Suicide Loss Luminary to commemorate those who have passed and uplift the voices of those impacted.
The event will take place from 6 to 7 p.m. on the South Oval, and the area will be lit up and decorated with scattered lanterns, Laura Lewis, assistant director of the program, said.
“We’re bringing together people who are survivors of suicide loss,” Lewis said. “We’ll be able to create a really nice, welcoming environment in that way.”
Lewis said attendees who have faced the loss of a loved one will be empowered to share their stories, if they choose.
“We’ll be doing that in a cool way with a candle, and giving people a moment to share a few words, if they want,” Lewis said. “No one, of course, is forced to do that, but just collectively remembering all of our losses together and supporting each other.”
Amaya Rakes, a student leadership development graduate teaching assistant for the program, said in an email that watching the luminary come together has been a great experience.
“It has been amazing to see the [Ohio State] community’s interest in getting involved in the event, whether by volunteering or participating,” Rakes said. “We anticipate this event will have greater participation than in previous years — a result of the campus culture of care that the community has cultivated.”
The event will feature local guest speakers and volunteers from the Franklin County LOSS Community Services team will be in attendance, Lewis said.
The LOSS Community Services team is a volunteer organization serving those in the Columbus community enduring grief through early intervention measures, as well as by connecting those with similar experiences to foster a positive healing process, according to its website.
“Here in central Ohio, [LOSS] provides wonderful postvention support in the aftermath of a tragedy,” Lewis said. “They are people that go on-site to places around Columbus where a loss has occurred, and provide support to family members, and really anybody who has been impacted.”
Event attendees will also have the opportunity to create their own remembrance candle jars, Lewis said. The program will provide crafting supplies, as well as battery-operated candles for participants to take home.
“We’re going to have refreshments — some hot chocolate, and cookies and brownies to enjoy,” Lewis said.
The program will also be collaborating with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to provide hope and healing kits for attendees, Lewis said.
“Those include journals, pens, some stickers and some other items that, again, people can take [home] — along with that candle — as a way to remember the evening,” Lewis said.
Lewis said the evening will also heavily focus on emphasizing crisis and mental health resources available on campus while highlighting opportunities for healing and growth.
“If [people] are experiencing distress over the loss of a loved one, or just experiencing distress themselves for their own mental health, we’re happy to support that,” Lewis said of the program.
Regarding the choice of hosting the luminary on International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day, Rakes said, “individuals affected by suicide [can] come together to find comfort and understanding as they navigate their healing journeys … Students who have lost someone to suicide and students who want to show support can come together, build community and share hope.”
Lewis said this year, the program has worked with a donor who has made the new additions to this year’s luminary possible.
“We decided this is where we wanted to put [their donation],” Lewis said. “This is a family that has a connection to the cause and the Buckeye community, and it seemed like a lovely way to use that money — to expand the event and to be a little more creative about how we could welcome people.”
Rakes echoed that thought and said the luminary strives to ignite unity amongst survivors and supporters.
“By attending the event, students will learn ways to engage in advocacy efforts for suicide prevention and to continue fostering a campus culture of care,” Rakes said.
Lewis said the event aims to send a message to the Ohio State community: those who have been lost to suicide are never forgotten.
“This is just one day where we’re saying we can all come together with our memories of our loved ones and kind of share hope and healing around that,” Lewis said. “We have so much support for suicide prevention efforts and advocacy. In this way, that idea of creating that campus culture of care is something that people have caught on to.”
The Survivors of Suicide Loss Luminary is open to all students and faculty, Lewis said. Registration for the event is not required, but encouraged, and can be accessed on the program’s website.
“There’s something beautiful about coming together in that way,” Lewis said. “I think it will continue to light that fire for prevention.”
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, visit your nearest Emergency Room or call 911. The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can be reached at 988. The National 24/7 Suicide Hotline is 800-784-2433. For the 24/7 free and confidential Crisis Text Line, text “4HOPE” to 741-741. If you are in a crisis or have an urgent need, you can call Counseling and Consultation Services at 614-292-5766 to speak with a therapist.
