Walking, and talking, together in Long Beach for suicide awareness

The Long Island Crisis Center will be holding its annual suicide prevention walk on the Long Beach Boardwalk Sunday, Sep. 22, marking 16 years of awareness.

The event, which is dubbed “Let’s Walk, Let’s Talk ... Stepping Together to Prevent Suicide,” unites those impacted by suicide, and raises money so the crisis center can continue doing what it does best: remain a 24/7 center, that is there to help Long Islanders in times of need.

The Long Island Crisis Center is based in Bellmore, but Long Beach’s boardwalk has been the site of the walk for years. The event brings together countless families and individuals who have either been personally affected by suicide, or wish to see a world without it.

“Over the years, unfortunately, we have seen a lot of tragedy in Long Beach,” Tawni Engel, the center’s associate executive director, said. “It is a very tight-knit, very supportive community. That’s something that we have felt all of these years and it’s very important that we maintain this presence in Long Beach for that reason.”

Each year, the center chooses a “person of the year” to honor at the walk for their commitment and effort. This year, it’s not just a person, but a foundation.

Michael Diamond, a long-time Long Beach resident, died in 2018. In honor of him, the Michael Diamond Foundation was formed, uniting the entire community, in his name. Since its inception, the foundation holds an annual golf outing and dinner fundraiser, and has raised well over $100,000.

“Michael Diamond was a Long Beach resident, he was a former police officer with the NYPD, and also was a former firefighter,” Engel said. “They do a lot of work around suicide prevention, and they do various things for the community. Through their generous support, through their dedication to the same work that we do, and supporting our mission, we felt that they were definitely worthy of our ‘Person of the Year’ award for this year.”

The foundation supports numerous causes, but centers the majority of its support for suicide prevention, veterans, and scholarships for students and athletes in need. Money raised has gone to groups such as the Long Island Crisis Center, VFW Post 1384, the Long Beach Soup Kitchen, the Long Beach Christmas Angels, Toys for Tots, and helps pay for school costs of two students each year.

The crisis center was founded in 1971, and offers a multitude of services to the many Long Island communities.

It operates several hotlines, including its generic crisis number, (516) 679-1111 and is the 988 for the Long Island region — which is the national suicide hotline number.

The crisis center also helps members of the LGBTQ community, through its subsidiary agency, PFY, which formerly stood for Pride For Youth. PFY, founded in 1993, is now known simply by its acronym.

As of press time, the crisis center has raised just under $48,000 for this year’s walk. To donate or register for the walk, visit Wizathon.com/licc-walk. For more information on the crisis center, visit LongIslandCrisisCenter.org.