Sunday in Billings felt different — heavier in some ways, yet full of something rare: collective purpose.

Hundreds of residents turned out for the Yellowstone Valley Out of the Darkness Walk, a deeply personal suicide awareness event that draws families, volunteers, and survivors together each year at Will James Middle School on 30th Street West.

The gathering is more than a walk — it is a public declaration that mental health struggles deserve to be spoken aloud, not buried.

Montana carries a painful distinction: the state has ranked among the highest in the nation for suicide rates for decades, making events like this one far more than symbolic.

For many participants, the route is walked in memory of someone specific — a son, a sibling, a friend who never got to hear that asking for help was enough.

One Billings family returned to the walk to honor their son and brother, who died by suicide several years ago after quietly battling anxiety and depression.

His loss, they said, arrived without warning — a shock that left them searching for ways to ensure other families would not face the same silence.

His sister put it plainly: when communities refuse to have hard conversations about mental illness, stigma fills the void — and stigma costs lives.

That message has become a driving force behind the walk's growing momentum.

Volunteers from Montana State University Billings also showed up in force, including members of the softball program, who spent their Sunday on the course to demonstrate that mental health is a priority in athletics and beyond.

Organizers have set an ambitious fundraising goal to channel resources into statewide suicide prevention programs, research, and education — work led by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and its Montana chapter.

The event chair, who lost her own son more than two decades ago, has made it her mission to ensure no one walks through grief alone.

Her conviction is simple but powerful: shared experience heals in ways that silence never can.

The suicide prevention walk also featured a silent auction, live music, and activities designed to welcome first-timers who may still be finding the courage to show up.

For Billings, a city navigating the weight of Montana's mental health crisis, the out of the darkness walk is a reminder that community is itself a form of lifesaving.

Organizers say the work does not stop when the route ends — keeping these conversations alive throughout the year is the real goal.

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.