By DANIELLE SEIDEMAN
for Inland 360
With the winter season under way, some people will be preparing for the cold weather, family and holidays. However, there are other people who prepare for seasonal depression. For those who feel like there is one to talk to, Saturday’s Bridge the Gap event will raise awareness about suicide prevention, advocates and resources.
The event, taking place at 10 a.m. at Clarkston High School’s Adams Field, is being held in honor of the late Devann Maurer who was a 17-year-old, 4.0 student at Lewiston High School when she took her own life in 2014. A varsity soccer player who won the Spirit Award her junior year, Maurer aspired to be in the healthcare field like her mother, said her brother, D.J. Maurer of Lewiston.
Devann was scheduled to see a counselor the day she died, he said. The Maurer family started the walk to let those who struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts know that there is a network of people who will embrace them.
“Mental health awareness is more than just a month. There are resources, even if you don’t have the money for help,” he said.
The walk will have positive music, resource groups and a rememberence wall for photos of loved ones who died by suicide. People are encouraged to bring photographs if they have lost someone. The event is not only about self-care for people with suicidal thoughts but is for people who have been affected by suicide, he said.
“It’s OK not to be OK. This is a safe place for people to feel safe to talk to others and not feel ashamed about losing others,” he said.
Maurer said he and his family are grateful that Clarkston High School has been an advocate of the walk, and they hope to build the community and bridge the gap to Lewiston as well. The event is a remembrance of Devann, but also is about the need for awareness of suicide in the commmunty and state.
All proceeds go to the Devann Maurer scholarship fund. People are asked to bring glow sticks to light up the track.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Bridge the Gap
WHEN: 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 16
WHERE: Adams Field, Clarkston High School
COST: Free admission, $20 to register for the walk and receive a T-shirt. Late registration is available until 9 a.m. Saturday but T-shirt is not guaranteed. All proceeds will go to the Devann Maurer scholarship fund
