Melody Seiger of Fulton was honored recently by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
The Field Advocates of the Year award was presented June 12 to Seiger at the Liaison Hotel in Washington, D.C.
"In 1993, I was 15 years old when I lost my mom to suicide," Seiger said. "It was one of the most tragic things that happened to me."
But she used the circumstances to educate people, and established the 3.5-mile "Take Back the Darkness" walk at Memorial Park to bring awareness. This year's walk will be Sept. 18, she said.
"I won this award the day before my mom's birthday," Seiger added. "My mother's 58th birthday would of been the 13th. I couldn't think of anything I would rather do in her memory than to be in Washington, D.C., advocating for those of us who struggle with mental health conditions and to share the stories of those we lost to suicide."
Seiger also was the lead planner of the first 2016 Missouri State Capitol Day, which brought the three Missouri chapters of AFSP and volunteers from across the state together to advocate for youth suicide prevention in schools as well as in institutions of higher education. She also regularly submits testimony and attends hearings in the state Capitol regarding suicide prevention legislation.
"Getting the award was very powerful for me," Seiger said. "I was scared to speak out at first. I was scared to use my voice."
The walk was established five years ago with the help of people in Fulton and Callaway County.
"Starting out just from a walk, we now have a (AFSP) chapter that serves 53 counties," she said, adding three chapters span the region."We work together as a team and started opening up conversations."
On average, one person dies by suicide every 8.5 hours in the state of Missouri, and is the 10th leading cause of death in the state. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention gave the award to Seiger for her exemplary leadership in advocating for suicide prevention, and inspiring others to do the same.
"I have the deepest admiration for Melody Seiger," said Bob Gebbia, chief executive officer of AFSP. "Melody is helping to change the conversation about suicide. Through her hard work and dedication, we are able to educate policy makers about the importance of suicide prevention and the need for additional resources and support for those affected by suicide."