Yellow Tulips For Suicide Prevention Month [VIDEO]

Volunteers will be planting beds of yellow tulips around the Greater Bangor area today to raise awareness for Suicide Prevention Month.

It's all part of the Yellow Tulip Project, which was started by a 16-year-old high school student who lost two friends to suicide within a span of 6 months. Julia Hansen says on the organization's website that she chose the flowers because tulips were one friend's favorite and yellow was the other friend's favorite color. Learn more about the Yellow Tulip Project from Julia herself in the above video, when she did a 'Ted Talks' segment about her organization. She's an amazing young woman.

Today, a Bangor-based organization known as the Steps Coalition is working with the Yellow Tulip Project by coordinating Hope Garden Plantings around the Greater Bangor area. The Steps Coalition consists of Acadia Hospital, Bangor Public Library, and the City of Bangor Public Health & Community Services, and works to help spread awareness about suicide prevention.

Yellow Tulip beds will be planted at several area high schools including Bangor, Brewer, John Bapst, Orono, Old Town, Dexter, Piscataquis Community High School, and Hampden Academy. There will also be beds planted at Mayo Regional Hospital, Shaw House, Sojourn Children's Crisis Unit, Acadia Hospital, the University of Maine, First Church of Christ in Bangor, and the Bangor Public Library.

The Out of the Darkness Walk for Suicide Awareness is planned for this Sunday, starting at Darling's Waterfront Pavilion in Bangor.

If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call the suicide prevention lifeline 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255. For more information, log onto the website for the Suicide Prevention Lifeline.