FLORENCE, Ala. — Hundreds of residents braved the cold waters of the Tennessee River on Wednesday for the 10th annual Polar Bear Plunge at McFarland Park, raising awareness for suicide prevention.
Event founder Josh Miles said the community gathering provides a crucial space to openly discuss suicide, a topic that often goes unaddressed.
“Suicide’s still out there,” Miles said, noting a suicide occurred in Florence just three days after last year’s plunge. “Within the past three months, there’s been a high school student from a local county school. It’s still here, and we’re not going to let it slip back into the dark.”…