The College of the Canyons Student Health & Wellness Center will host its annual ‘Shine A Light’ Suicide Prevention & Awareness event designed to provide students and community members with access to important mental health resources, while bringing attention to the staggering amount of college students who die by suicide each year.

The two-day ‘Shine a Light’ event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, and Wednesday, May 10, in the C.O.C. Honor Grove, located on the college’s Valencia campus.

At the event staff from the college’s Student Health & Wellness Center and other local mental health agencies will be present to distribute information about suicide prevention/awareness, coping with depression and how to access other key mental health care resources, both on campus and in the community.

As a visual representation of the social issue of suicide, the Honor Grove will also be filled with 1,100 paper lanterns — each representing a college student that has lost their life to suicide in the United States during the past year.

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 9, mental health providers will be positioned at the campus’ flagpole to provide resources and support. Flashlights with the National Suicide Lifeline will also be distributed.

In addition, guest speaker Dr. Mark Goulston, a suicide expert, mentor, writer and coach, will deliver his keynote “Breaking Through to a Suicidal Mind” from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, in Aliso Hall, Room 108. Goulston’s presentation will focus on suicide awareness and prevention.

These events are made possible with grant funding provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

For more information, visit www.canyons.edu/health​ or call 661-362-3259.