Hundreds march for suicide awareness

NORTH ANDOVER — Hundreds of people from across the Merrimack Valley and beyond joined together Saturday for a 1.5-mile walk to raise money for the Samaritans of the Merrimack Valley, an organization devoted to raising awareness of suicide prevention.

The 3rd annual Walk for Hope was on track to raise about $16,000, according to the organization's website.

The walk took place at the Willows Professional Park, 57 Turnpike St., with registration from 8:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. The keynote speaker, Congressman Seth Moulton, then spoke to marchers for about 15 minutes, talking about some of his own experiences with post-traumatic-stress-disorder, or PTSD, as a result of his military service in Iraq.

During his presidential campaign, he announced earlier this year that he has suffered from some of the same mental health issues that other veterans suffer from upon returning from the battlefield.

The walk began at 9:30 a.m., after Moulton's remarks.

Samaritans of the Merrimack Valley is under the umbrella organization of Family Services of the Merrimack Valley, which is based in Lawrence.