AGAWAM – It’ll be helmets on and kickstands up on July 27 for the 3rd Annual No More Silence Motorcycle Run to support suicide awareness and prevention. The event goes from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., though the actual run, sponsored by Macho Taco, is only an hour long. It begins and ends at The Still Bar & Grill in Agawam and is followed by an afterparty featuring raffles, food, a cash bar, vendors, and live music by Shovelhead.

“Pretty much everyone has been touched by suicide in some way,” said Becky Maslar, owner of The Still. This is the first time the run has been hosted at the Agawam location.

On average, 60 to 100 motorcyclists participate in the run each year. Last year, the event raised $5,000, said No More Silence Massachusetts president and co-founder Terri McNulty. The proceeds from the run will benefit both No More Silence Massachusetts and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).

No More Silence Massachusetts is a non-profit organization that advocates for suicide awareness and prevention while supporting people who have been impacted by suicide.

“It all stems from myself and [co–founder and fiance, Daniel Tracy],” said McNulty. Each of them lost a brother to suicide. The two have participated in Team T.O.M., which is part of the wider project, Out of Darkness, a suicide awareness walk run by the AFSP. In 2017, to raise money for the walk, McNulty said, they decided to do a motorcycle ride.

“The first year raised about $3,000,” McNulty said. Based on the success of that first run, McNulty and Tracy decided to begin No More Silence Massachusetts as a separate organization. The charity’s main fundraiser is the motorcycle run, but there is also a Fall Ball and 5k/10k Walk/Run.

The organization runs several programs to support grieving families. A Kid’s Craft Day is held for families to interact and provide an activity for children, they donate trees in memory of a lost loved one, give gift baskets with grocery gift cards or meal delivery services to comfort families and help them through the early stages of loss. The organization also collects and purchases gifts and include an angel wing ornament for children and parents or guardians to help brighten the difficult holiday season.

“Our programs are meant to show others that they are not alone in the journey after a loss,” the organization states on their website.

Tickets are $20 for the ride and afterparty and $10 for the afterparty only. More information about No More Silence Massachusetts can be found on their website at nomoresilencemassachusetts.org. If you are in crisis, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1–800–273–TALK (8255).