Sunday marked the start of Suicide Awareness Week across the country. It's an especially important week of prevention education here in Montana as we lead the nation in suicides. With that said, American Made Tattoo is holding their 3rd annual Semi Colon Tattoo Day this Wednesday, September 12th.

According to Project Semicolon, this is the significance of the semicolon itself.

"A semicolon is used when an author could've chosen to end their sentence, but chose not to. The author is you and the sentence is your life."

Many Montanans who's lives have been changed by a suicide get the tattoo to commemorate somebody important to them. Others who have attempted suicide also have the semicolon tattoo. It's a form of solidarity between people dealing with mental illness, or death of someone from suicide.

Semi Colon Day will begin at 11 a.m. at 234 West Front street downtown and is a benefit for the Missoula Life Maintenance Center a.k.a. "Joey's Place." Tattoos will be done on a first come, first served basis with a minimum donation of $20 and a suggested donation of $50. Last year's event raised $4,700 in just one day to help Joey's Place begin it's mission of changing the stigma behind mental illness and suicide in the Missoula community.

Let's pitch in to beat last year's goal! Even if you don't want to get a tattoo, you can show your support by purchasing stickers, writstbands and t-shirts at American Made Tattoo.

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