CENTREVILLE – A community conference on suicide prevention is set for Saturday.

The I Belong Summit will be held at Centreville High School from 8 AM until 3 PM. The event is being sponsored by the Sturgis Area Community Foundation, the Suicide Prevention Network of St. Joseph County and the St. Joseph County United Way.

United Way Executive Director Kelly Hostetler says the idea for the summit started in 2018 when St. Joseph County had an epidemic of suicides. She was approached by people from around the county, including employees of the court system, who said they wanted to make something happen to bring attention to the problem of suicide.

Several events have been held since that time, leading up to Saturday's summit

David Northrop is one of the co-coordinators of the I Belong Summit. From his time with the Sturgis Police Department to his current position as Safety and Security Supervisor with the Sturgis Public School, he has seen the devastating effects suicide can have, and is shocked that people think suicide is an actual option.

Saturday's summit will feature three break out sessions with several different topics to be discussed and shared. The Keynote Speaker is Nathan Harmon, who will share his experiences with the audience.

The event is free of charge and open to the public.