Commissioner Terry Burroughs along with members of Our Village Okeechobee and 211 Palm Beach & Treasure Coast. [Photo courtesy Okeechobee County]

OKEECHOBEE - The Okeechobee County Board of County Commissioners issued three proclamations during their regular meeting on Sept. 10. They recognized September as National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, Sept. 17–23 as U.S. Constitution Week, and Sept. 21, as National Lawns and Landscape Day in Okeechobee County.

The Sept. 10 meeting fell on World Suicide Prevention Day, an international observance that the International Association for Suicide Prevention launched in 2003 with the World Health Organization. This year completes a three-year campaign built around the theme "Changing the Narrative on Suicide." The campaign urges people to talk openly about suicide rather than avoid the subject.

Commissioners issued two proclamations designating September 2026 as National Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month. One went to Chad Adcock of 211 Palm Beach & Treasure Coast, and the other to Leah Suarez of Our Village Okeechobee, Inc.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 48,824 Americans died by suicide in 2024. That makes suicide the nation's 10th-leading cause of death, although the rate dipped slightly from 2023. The CDC also estimates that 14.3 million adults seriously considered suicide that year. Demand for crisis support is climbing. State call centers for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline answered more than 4.3 million calls in 2025, a 12% increase over the previous year.

211 Palm Beach & Treasure Coast has operated for more than 50 years. It serves Okeechobee, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties, providing suicide prevention, crisis intervention and referrals to community services.

Our Village Okeechobee works closer to home. Suarez founded the nonprofit in 2015 with the aim of giving local families "a hand up, not a hand out." Our Village offers peer support to people facing mental health challenges. The nonprofit has also set a goal of building and sustaining a children's mental health system of care in Okeechobee County.

Commissioner Brad Goodbread along with members from the Daughters of the American Revolution, [Photo courtesy Okeechobee County]

Commissioners also presented a proclamation to Elisabeth Fox Garcia on behalf of the Okeechobee Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). It designates Sept. 17–23 as U.S. Constitution Week in the county.

The observance exists because of the DAR. In 1955, the organization petitioned Congress to set aside the week each year to honor the Constitution. Congress adopted the resolution, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed it into law as Public Law 915 on Aug. 2, 1956.

The week has three aims:

• Encouraging the study of the events that led to the framing of the Constitution.
• Reminding Americans that the document is the foundation of the nation's way of life.
• Emphasizing citizens' responsibility to protect and preserve it.

Founded in 1890, the DAR has about 190,000 members in roughly 3,000 chapters. Members commonly sponsor proclamations like this one and host community displays and programs during the week.

The county's proclamation follows a similar one from the City of Okeechobee. Earlier this month, Mayor Dowling Watford proclaimed Constitution Week, recognizing Lonnie Kirsch, regent of the local DAR chapter.

The Okeechobee Board of County Commissioners with Okeechobee County Grounds & Maintenance staff. [Photo courtesy Okeechobee County]

The board's final proclamation recognized some of the county's own employees. Commissioners presented it to the Okeechobee County Grounds Maintenance staff, designating Monday, Sept. 21, as National Lawns and Landscape Day in Okeechobee County.

The landscaping industry marks the September date to recognize the people who care for lawns and green spaces. Industry groups also point to environmental benefits of well-kept landscapes. The National Association of Landscape Professionals, for example, notes that grass helps trap dust and pollutants from the air. The association says a healthy lawn can soak up more than 6,000 gallons of water in a single rainfall, reducing runoff.