More than 150 people from throughout Susquehanna County are expected to participate in the upcoming Out of the Darkness Community Walk on Saturday, Sept. 13.
The fundraising walk supports the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP, afsp.org) by helping to support local and national suicide prevention and awareness programs to reduce the annual rate of suicide by 20 percent by 2025.
The Second Annual Susquehanna County Out of the Darkness Walk is one of more than 360 Out of the Darkness Community Walks (www.outofthedarkness.org) being held this fall nationwide. The walks are expected to unite more than 100,000 walkers nationally and raise more than $12 million for suicide prevention efforts.
“Much more needs to be done to prevent suicide. Yet, suicide and the underlying mental disorders that can sometimes lead to suicide continue to be surrounded by misinformation and stigma,” JoAnne McCain, chair for the upcoming walk, said. “This walk is about reducing that stigma, raising awareness and raising needed funds for research and local prevention programs.” She adds, “After our very successful inaugural walk in 2013, we were able to bring programs and education directly to our area schools and libraries…and we have so much more to do.”
The Susquehanna County community walk will begin with registration at 9:30 a.m. at the Montrose Jr-Sr High School. The Walk commences at 11 a.m. and there will be music, lots of raffles, a Remembrance Wall and many other activities.
According to AFSP, close to 700,000 people will make a suicide attempt requiring medical care and more than 38,000 will die by suicide in the U.S. every year.
“Despite the troubling statistics, an important goal of the walk is to stress that suicide can be prevented. The walk is also a call to action that more must be done to prevent suicide, nationally and in communities across the country,” said Robert Gebbia, executive director for the foundation.
“We know that the best way to prevent suicide is through the early recognition and treatment of the mental disorders that can contribute to suicide. Unfortunately, stigma about disorders such as depression, bipolar illness, and alcohol and substance abuse, keeps people from getting the treatment they need. The Walk is about eliminating that stigma. It’s about bringing hope to those who have been affected by suicide,” he continued.
Check out Walk sponsors and local information on Facebook at Susquehanna County Out of the Darkness Walk.
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