GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Saturday is International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day and an organization in Grand Rapids is holding an event to bring people who have lost someone to suicide. 

The West Michigan Survivors of Suicide Loss hold a conference every year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Organizers said that this time of year with the holidays coming up can be especially painful when you see empty seats around the table. 

This year’s conference is focused on self-care and providing tools for people to use during their grief journey. It goes from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan. Food will be provided and it is free and open to all. 

At the conference, you will be able to hear from experts about navigating the grief journey and self-care methods including ways beyond therapy, medication or faith. 

Becky Olson, the vice president of West Michigan Survivors of Suicide Loss, said events like this helped her cope after she lost her father to suicide in 2011.

An undated photo of Becky Olson, the vice president of West Michigan Survivors of Suicide Loss, and her father. (Courtesy of the West Michigan Survivors of Suicide Loss)

“It’s also a time to honor our loved one and ourselves and what we’ve been through before heading into the holiday season and next week when there might be an empty seat at the table for the 40th year or the first year,” Olson said. “It’s a place to find hope and see that others who have either been years or months out from their loss are finding ways to cope, whether that’s just by attending this event, by their support groups, by knowing that they’ll see familiar faces year after year.”

You can register for the conference here.