Five people die every day in Ohio by suicide, that's according to the Northeast Ohio Help Network.

September is Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month and each weekend of this month a unique power lifting fundraiser will take place in the Valley to bring awareness that suicide is preventable and help support the Valley's Suicide and Crisis hotline, which answers more than 130,000 calls annually.

CEO Vince Brancaccio says five people may not seem like a lot, but "that's five people today, five people yesterday and five people the next day."

That's 1,800 families affected by suicide every year.

The power lifting fundraiser is a 5x5x5 consisting of five reps of bench presses, squats and deadlifts.

Three area gyms are taking part.

  • Team BSS Fitness on Saturday, September 4th at 10 a.m.
  • ONYX 24/7 Fitness Club on Saturday, Sept. 11th at 10 a.m.
  • Mi Gym on Saturday, Sept. 25th at 10 a.m.

For more information, call: 330-507-1406

Suicide Hotline Contact Numbers

Mahoning County and Trumbull County: 330-747-2696

Columbiana County: 330-424-7767

Below is a App Extra interview with the Northeast Ohio Help Network CEO Vince Brancaccio discussing the fundraiser and how lives can be saved.