JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — Hundreds of people took to Jacksonville Beach Sunday Morning to raise awareness of suicide prevention.

The ‘Walk Out of Darkness’ event organized by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention brought out hundreds of participants, including advocates, and those who have lost loved ones to suicide.

“Just out here hoping to make a change,” Bradley Howell, who lost his dad to suicide, said.

Bradley Howell lost his dad to suicide last year.

“It affects so many people and I don’t think it’s talked about enough,” Howell  said. “You know, it’s kind of a taboo subject but once I saw this group post online, I was like we have to join up. So we got a team together, team Howell-yeah.”

Team Howell-yeah raised nearly $2300 in donations for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

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Like many at the event, team members were wearing honor beads around their necks, symbolizing their connection with suicide. The gold beads symbolized the loss of a parent.

Over 100 teams and over 900 participants filled Jacksonville beach.

“This is definitely a community that’s really strong and our message is that you are not alone because everyone has a story, and we just don’t know what that story is but by being here together, we’re letting each other know we’re not alone,” Sarah Clark, director for the North Florida Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, said.

According to state statics, the suicide rate in Duval County during 2020 was 15.5 people per every 100,000. That was higher than the state average of 13.1.

Walkers at Jacksonville Beach raised over $72,000, money that will be used for suicide prevention programs, community resources and research.

“We didn’t realize it was such a big group that was going to be here, I mean you come out here and you see that it’s effect a lot of people in a lot of different ways,” Howell said.