September marks National Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month and in honor of the month, Regis University will host a "Lunch and Learn" with nationally-recognized mental health advocate and speaker, Coach Doug Merrill, in Main Hall 333 on the Regis University campus on September 19 at 12 p.m. Merrill is the author of the book, Fighting the Demon of Suicide and he will discuss the book which is a triumphant story on how to prevent, defeat and conquer mental health issues.

Merrill is a former teacher and is currently a head baseball coach in Ohio. After losing two childhood friends and later eight students to mental illness and suicide, Merrill decided it was time to fight the demon. "Losing baseball players on my team to the disease [of mental illness] was more than I could bear. I wasn't willing to just sit there anymore," stated Merrill.

After the deaths of his students, Merrill quit his teaching career and began writing his book. He now uses his experiences to give readers a 10- point plan on winning the war against depression. Merrill is also a spokesperson for the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation.

In addition to the event at RegisUniversity, Coach Merrill will also be at the following Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month events, including:

Thursday 9/18

Barnes and Noble Book Signing

4 p.m. - 8 p.m., 14347 W. Colfax Ave.

Saturday 9/20

Book Signing and Pre-registration for the 2 nd Wind Fund Walk/Run/Ride, www.TheSecondWindFund.org

12 p.m. - 4 p.m., GreenMountainHigh School, 13175 W. Green Mountain Drive, Lakewood.

Sunday 9/21

Book Signing at the 2 nd Wind Fund Walk/Run/Ride, www.TheSecondWindFund.org

9:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., GreenMountainHigh School, 13175 W. Green Mountain Drive, Lakewood.

Additionally, www.PeoplePreventSuicide.org is a comprehensive mental health resource.

There is no charge for the Regis event and questions or to RSVP for Coach Merrill's speaking engagement, please contact Liza Gallegos at egallego@regis.edu.