NILES — Angel King said the loss of a loved one to suicide or mental illness is difficult for anyone, but especially during the holidays.

King, who is with Thrive Counseling, recently coordinated a “Hunt for Hope” event at Waddell Park in Niles.

“This event was designed for families who have lost loved ones to suicide or mental illness. Whether it is suicide or drug overdoses these families are hurting. My family lost a loved one in late 2023,” the city resident said.

She said families have someone dealing with mental health issues, which may lead to suicide.

“For those families, once the holidays come around, they don’t want to do anything because the loved one is not there. The holidays are a hard time to deal with the loss of a loved one. They may be dealing with family issues. I wanted to do something for families to help bring them some smiles and a happy day,” King said.

The event included games, music, a picnic meal, prizes and giveaways, and an egg hunt for the children.

“We had 2,600 plastic eggs hidden at the park with some having special tickets for gift baskets,” King said.

King said the event was designed to raise awareness and let people who have lost a loved one know they are not alone. She said there are agencies available to speak with people and help them through troubling times.

King said she came up with the idea from a therapy session after her fiance passed away, and she used to hold events such as egg hunts for his children.

“Everyone grieves at their own pace, and the holidays are always so hard,” she said.

Faye Kneubehl of Niles said she had a cousin who committed suicide and his mother also took her life eight months later. Her husband died of cancer on Easter, and her father died the day after Christmas.

She said the suicides or other family deaths happened on or near holidays.

Kneubehl said she doesn’t enjoy the holidays.

“It is hard to have a good time when you remember and you’re crying,” she said.

She said that King planning such an event for families does help.

“I appreciate what she did for us,” Kneubehl said.

Jessica Johannsmeier of Niles said she attended the event to support King and others.

“She has always helped other people especially at the holidays. She struggles herself yet is able to do all this,” Johannsmeier said.

Andrea DeJacimo of Thrive Counseling was writing messages on a whiteboard. At the event, people could write special messages to their loved ones and others.

King said the board is like a “board of hope.”

DeJacimo said the event is important to bring people together who have faced the same situation in their lives with loss of a loved one.

“Bringing attention to this is so important. To have people come together and provide them with so much comfort and activities they can do together. They see that people are here to support one another and talk if they want to,” DeJacimo said.