Every year, Maureen Crick Owen and other members of Newtown Suicide Prevention Initiative decorate a Redpointe Red Maple tree with teal and purple ribbons to remember those lost to suicide and to spread the message, “You are not alone.”

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. The Redpointe Red Maple was chosen because it is fast growing, and Crick Owen notes that she wants information about suicide prevention to be “fast growing so that suicide rates decrease.” She added that the tree will “[stand] tall and proud” for “our loved ones that died by suicide are still in our hearts and minds and we stand tall and proud when we talk about them to family and friends.” With the changing season, the leaves turn a scorching red, which Crick Owen said “[glows] like a beacon in the fall.” She wants everyone to remember throughout the entire year, not just September, how important suicide prevention is. She hopes to have a plaque installed at the base of the tree later this year.