The annual Canadian Mental Health Association's (CMHA) Lantern Walk in Port Alberni had a simple goal: to bring people out of the darkness and into the light.
A walk takes place each year to mark World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10. This year's event took place at Blair Park and featured a number of different "stations" that walkers could visit. Each station had a different theme — like self-care, anger, or resources — and each station included a piece of a storybook that could be put together at the end of the walk.
People carried lanterns throughout the walk and Blair Park was decorated with other lanterns of different colours. Todd Patola, who sits on the CMHA board, said that these lanterns are a symbol of light.
"The purpose is to build community and provide people with the knowledge, insight and resources to avoid dark places," Patola said. "The walk emphasizes the many ways to deal with grief and stressful challenges. There are always other ways."
