Hundreds walk in the name of suicide prevention in Jax Beach Saturday morning

It has now been almost forty years since Jefry Kleine received the call that his sister Jackie had taken her own life, turning his and his family’s lives upside down in one fell swoop.

‘It’s one of those scars where you always have it. It heals, but you always have it,” Klein told Action News Jax.

>>> STREAM PROMOTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<

On Saturday morning, Klein and many others affected by suicide in Jacksonville Beach walked side by side in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s “Out Darkness Walk.”

The event was designed to give those affected by this issue the opportunity to know they are not alone in their grief and to heal.

“Having someone who has been through it, I think talking is the best medicine,” Klein said.

(DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts when news breaks)

While the event was also intended to raise money for a life-saving cause, more than $60,000 was raised on Saturday.

“We are the largest funder of suicide prevention research in the country,” explains Wendy Mercer of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

The hope is also to save lives on Saturday by raising awareness, one dollar and one walker at a time.

“We do have resources, conversations that we have with the community, like ‘Talks Saves Lives.’ We can take it to businesses, schools, etc. and provide information about signs of suicide and what to do if you see the signs,” Mercer explains.

(TO REGISTER: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter)

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to live stream Action News Jax.