Salado holds first annual suicide prevention walk

SALADO, Texas (KWTX) - Three Salado High School students organized a 22-hour suicide prevention walk in downtown Salado with an emphasis on veteran mental health.

Salado High School band students Danny Deluna, Ayden Rose and Michael Dorris got the idea for the walk from Deluna's relative.

"She wanted to bring it to Salado," Rose said. "And we were like 'We think that's great. We'll help you. We're behind you 100%.'"

They enlisted the parents of band students in charge of fundraising and volunteering to organize the walk. Afterward, they sought and obtained approval from the Salado City Council.

The walk lasted 22 hours, from 4 p.m. Sept. 21 to 2 p.m. Sept 22. Each hour of walking symbolized one of the 22 veterans that a 2012 study from the Department of Veterans Affairs reports takes their own life.

Walkers were encouraged to walk with various American and military flags to bring awareness to veteran mental health.

"You walking this flag down and back shows that you're still going, you're still fighting," Deluna said. "You're still taking another step per day."

Temple resident Tina Miller, who lost two family members to suicide, said she hopes the walk will remind people that individuals struggling with mental health don't always show it.

"With my situation, it wasn't well known," Miller said. "It was very well hidden. And most of the time it's right in front of our face."

The Salado High School Band plans to hold the walk annually.

"I wanna make sure this community all feels as one, where we can all be together and happy," Deluna said. "And remember the ones you lost. Remember everything."