Aggie Foundation supports local efforts to bring awareness to suicide prevention.
MINOT, North Dakota – Thanks to the Aggie Foundation, a $600 donation to Minot Out of the Darkness was made in an effort to help with their fundraising for the year.
Twyla Hofer, Minot Out of the Darkness Community Walk co-chair, shared the importance of a donation like this one from the Aggie Foundation.
“We have a program called ‘Talks Save Lives’ and that’s learning the different signs and how to talk to someone who is maybe having thoughts of suicide. We also have material on if someone has made an attempt and what to do after. Talking to children about it, military suicide, senior suicide…the money raised helps people get to those programs. We offer them free with the donations and the fundraising that we do,” said Twyla.
“Suicide touches one in five American families. We hope that by walking we will draw attention to this issue and help other families who have experienced a suicide loss. Our ultimate goal is to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide.”
The Minot Out of the Darkness Community Walk is 1 of more than 550 Out of the Darkness Overnight Community and Campus Walks being held nationwide this year. The walks are expected to unite more than 300,000 walkers and raise millions for suicide prevention efforts. Last year, these walks raised over $21 million for suicide prevention. This year Minot has raised $37,929.35 so far and is projected to raise $40,000 by the end of the year. They had a very successful walk with around 500 participants.
The Aggie Foundation supports a broad spectrum of local organizations in fulfilling their missions in North Dakota. In the past year, the Aggie foundation has donated roughly $7,000 to support local organizations focusing on mental health and suicide prevention.
“Supporting resources like Minot Out of the Darkness is vital, especially as we are inching closer to the long North Dakota winter and the seasonal depression that comes with it,” said Terry Peterson, Aggie Foundation Board President. “It is important to help bring awareness to the resources that our community has to offer regarding mental health.”
If you or someone you know is looking for support and/or resources, please visit www.afsp.org/get-help and www.afsp.org/resources. If you are in crisis, please call 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
The Aggie Foundation was established in 2012 by a group of friends from Velva, ND. The Foundation initially supported its mission of charitable giving via a modest, yearly scholarship provided to a Senior from Velva who excelled in Biology. They began to help raise funds for citizens in need, schools, youth sports, and local organizations or groups doing good things in Velva and the surrounding communities. Their expansion as a broad grant-provider and community partner allows them to support organizations across North Dakota working with community leaders to identify which organizations are in need of economic assistance.
For more information regarding Aggie Foundation, e-mail aggiefoundation@gmail.com. Visit Aggie Foundation’s Facebook page (@AggieFoundation) or website (aggiefoundation.com) for updates and information about the communities they’re currently active in and ways they are supporting local organizations.
