Suicide discussions can have a stigma surrounding the topic, said New Beginnings Church Pastor Phillip Powers, who also runs the Salvation Army store and assists with Harvesters Community Food Network As a society, people should not be afraid to speak up about suicide, to speak up about mental illness or to seek out treatment for an individual who is in need, according to National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Eliminating the stigma starts by understanding why suicide occurs and advocating for mental health awareness within communities The Richmond Salvation Army and Ray County Special Needs Services (SNS) recently hosted two ‘Understanding Suicide: Youth Suicide’ discussions at the Farris Theater. One was for local law enforcement and healthcare workers and the other one was for any local community members. “We have to talk about the hard topics in order for things to change,” the pastor said. Powers stated the event’s importance and introduced guest speakers student Hope…