Jones Beach remembers loved ones lost to suicide

One by one, Mindy Davidson approached strangers Sunday on the Jones Beach boardwalk and offered a gesture that held extra weight: A free hug.

Davidson, 65, of Bethpage, and nearly 3,000 others found community and support at the Long Island chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's annual Out of the Darkness walk, which organizers said had raised more than $561,000 as of about 10 a.m. People made donations to participating individuals and teams online.

Davidson, whose mother and father died by suicide 26 years apart, is a board member of the Long Island chapter.

"As much grief as they must be experiencing, just to be around other people who know what it feels like to lose someone who has died by suicide, must be very strengthening and supporting" Davidson said. "You kind of help each other rise above the pain. You know what it's like to experience something like that."

Ann Morrison Pacella, executive director of the foundation's Long Island chapter, said the walk functions as a reminder to the community that "they are not alone." She said people have told her the annual walk had been "life-changing for them."

"Whether they've lost someone, whether they're struggling, whether they've struggled in the past," Morrison Pacella said, "to me, it is so powerful to see these thousands of people who are all gathered to start conversations about mental health and suicide prevention."

Ayden Cruz, 37, took to the boardwalk Sunday alongside his 8-year-old daughter, Stella. A clinical social worker who works as a therapist, Cruz said the impact of the event mirrors the message he shares with clients who have expressed suicidal ideation: You are not alone.

"It's important for people who are struggling with mental health concerns to see community," said Cruz, of Patchogue. "The number of people down here today is kind of amazing and somber at the same time, just to see how many families have been touched by suicide."

Cruz said he had explained to his daughter the premise of the event on the drive to Jones Beach.

"It's important for kids to be here, just to know that life isn't always going to be that great, and sometimes we're going to feel sad, we're going to feel depressed," Cruz said. "But there are things we can do about it. Even though we may be feeling that way now, we could be feeling a different way 10 minutes from now, tomorrow, next week."

The boardwalk was lined with posters bearing the faces of Long Islanders who had died by suicide, alongside written remembrances from family members. At the beginning of the walk, dozens of miniature flags with inspirational messages written in marker stood in the grass, flapping in the wind.

"I walk," one read, "for anyone who struggles."

If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline can be reached by calling or texting 988.