A powerful exhibit that could save lives will fill the Gallery Lawn at the University of Redlands from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 13, 2016. It is free and open to all, and organizers encourage people to experience this visual and emotional message intended to bring awareness to the epidemic of suicide and efforts of suicide prevention.

Suicide claims the lives of more than 1,100 college students each year. “Send Silence Packing” is an exhibit of 1,100 backpacks representing those lives lost. Visitors are invited to walk among the backpacks—each with photos and a story about the individual lost to suicide. The goal is to help erase the stigma around mental health, encourage openness to discuss issues and inspire action for suicide prevention.

Student club Active Minds and the Alliance for Community Transformation and Wellness are hosting the exhibit. Preceding the exhibit, at 7 p.m. Oct. 11,2016 in the Casa Loma Room on the Redlands campus, the campus community, and the public is invited to a free talk and Q & A session, “Suicide: A Global Epidemic” by Dr. Daniel Bennett, assistant chief of psychiatry at Kaiser Permanente.