'Hike for Hope' to raise awareness for suicide prevention, erase stigma to take place at Deer Lakes Park

A West Deer mother who lost her daughter to suicide is continuing to raise awareness for suicide prevention and fight the stigma that suicide shouldn’t be talked about.

Molly Rupprecht and her friends are organizing a “Hike for Hope” suicide awareness event at Deer Lakes Park on Saturday, Sept. 12. Rupprecht’s daughter, Maura, was a Deer Lakes High School sophomore who died by suicide in March 2019. She was 16.

“I think there’s a stigma attached, and people are resistant to seek help,” Molly Rupprecht said. “People are resistant if they are aware of someone that may be struggling. They’re not sure if they should contact somebody.”

Rupprecht said, “That’s what we’re trying to do — make it so common that we can talk about this. That people know where to get help. That there’s no shame in getting help, and they certainly should reach out to other people if they know that someone is struggling.”

The idea for the hike came after coronavirus-related restrictions cancelled the Pittsburgh Out of the Darkness Walk, hosted by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Rupprecht and her friends attended that event last year.

“We started out with just a group of friends going to go together and do a walk,” Rupprecht said. “The more we talked about it, there were some students that wanted to be involved. Then we reached out to some other families that have had losses and they wanted to be involved.”

Hike participants will traverse the park’s Blue Loop, which is 2 miles. They can hike anytime between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Check-in will be at the park’s Trout Shelter.

The hike isn’t a fundraiser. People can make donations to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention on their own if they wish. Information on how to do that will be provided at the hike. Suicide prevention resources also will be available.

“It’s just an awareness and a get-together to support people that have been touched by these kind of losses,” Rupprecht said.

Jesse Putkoski is the area director for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Western Pennsylvania chapter.

Putkoski said events like “Hike for Hope” allow people to talk about mental health and suicide prevention, which will help reduce the stigma surrounding them.

“The more we open up, talk, and connect, the more lives we can save,” Putkoski said.

The Out of the Darkness Walk was also to take place on Saturday. Putkoski said the organization will host an Out of the Darkness Experience instead. The experience will be a culmination of activities leading up to an online ceremony Oct. 4.

Rupprecht and her friends chose Deer Lakes Park for the event because it’s central to the community. Within the last three years, four families within the Deer Lakes School District have lost a loved one to suicide, Rupprecht said.

Rupprecht believes her daughter would be happy that the group is providing suicide prevention resources, talking openly about suicide and offering help. Maura became a local figure for suicide prevention awareness in part due to a hockey game held in her honor last year.

“I think that if she would have been comfortable, she would have reached out (for help),” Rupprecht said. “That’s what we’re trying to do.”