Out of the Darkness Community Walk planned for Sunday
By Christopher Miller
The following statistics were gathered by speaking with event organizers, and general research completed on the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention website.
In 2019, 47,511 Americans died by suicide. In that same year there were 1.38 million attempts, which is almost equivalent to the population of New Hampshire. To further bring this data into view, 14 people out of every 100,000 people took their own lives.
Middle-aged white men died by suicide 3.63 times a soften as women, meaning there are approximate 130 suicides per day.
I apologize for the grim facts being presented so early in this article, but this picture needs to be painted for others to realize that this can be prevented. In fact, 93% of adults surveyed in the United States think that suicide can be prevented.
You may know someone who has taken their own life, or someone who has considered doing so. It is the 10th leading cause of death in our country, and the 11th leading cause in the state.
I recently had the distinct honor and privilege to speak with Carolyn Shade, the local event organizer for the Clinton County Out of the Darkness Walk.
“The walk is for prevention and awareness of suicide, survivors, and those who have lost a loved one,” Carolyn said in an interview with The Record. “I’ve been planning this local event for maybe the last 7 or 8 years…all of the money raised goes to the AFSP, which is the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and the money gets kept in the county through various programs and agencies.”
This year’s calendar-year fundraising goal is $15,000, which appears to be about $4,100 shy of being reached (as of Monday afternoon).
“The walk was started in our county by someone who suffered a loss in her family, and she wanted to bring more awareness to our area,” Carolyn said. “I was invited to join a team 6 years ago by a friend who struggled with mental health issues, so I joined to support her…since that time, I have had other friends impacted by their own losses, including some of my own, so it has become a little more personal to me than when I first started.”
The community walk, which Carolyn explained, is different this year. “Usually there is a ceremony with guest speakers and singers/music, but this year because of COVID, we are shortening that to not encourage a large gathering…it will be held Sunday, September 26 at 1:00pm, and you can register online or in-person.”
Some local agencies will be on-hand including the Clinton County United Way, a representative from The Meadows, and others.
Something unique to the event are Honor Beads. These are beads of different colors to symbolize and identify the loss one may have experienced, such as parent, sibling, spouse, or friend.
Though the AFSP does not provide crisis intervention, their main goal is to prevent suicide by educating the public on warning signs and risk factors so that they can intervene with resources before someone reaches a suicidal crisis.
Samantha Bruno, Eastern Pennsylvania Area Director for the AFSP explained that there are educational programs in place for schools, such as teachers and staff, parents, community members, workplaces, and suicide bereavement training for clinicians, all of which can be found here: https://afsp.org/community-programs. “We also train facilitators for suicide loss survivor support groups,” Samantha said.
“The AFSP funds research to find ways to prevent suicide and new ways to intervene when someone is thinking about taking their life,” Samantha explained. “For suicide loss survivors, we have events like International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day: https://afsp.org/international-survivors-of-suicide-loss-day.
We also have a program called Healing Conversations where our trained volunteers reach out to those who have just suffered a loss to help them take first steps on their healing journey: https://afsp.org/healing-conversations.”
An examination of the AFSP website also shows that there is literally a ton of information available there: https://afsp.org/get-help.
While reading this article, you may have asked yourself, “what can I do if someone I know is contemplating taking their life?”
“I recommend the text or call line,” Carolyn said.
“To reach the texting line, text TALK to 741741, or to speak to a person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, call 1-800-273-8255.
These numbers are available to anyone who either may be considering taking their own life, or to speak on behalf of someone else, or to get resources for another person.
The event is happening this Sunday, September 26 at Riverview Park in Lock Haven. Event Details are below:
Sunday, September 26, 2021
Riverview Park, Lock Haven
Registration begins at 12:00 p.m.
Ceremony begins at 1:00 p.m.
Walking around the park begins after the ceremony
Registration and additional information can be found at the shortened link here: https://bit.ly/3lLjg42
Or by contacting: Carolyn Shade 570-660-2209
carolyn.shade@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CCOutoftheDarkness
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ootdwalks?lang=en
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afspnational/?hl=en
#TogetherToFightSuicide
#OutoftheDarkness
Special thanks to these local sponsors: Community Care, Redmond’s Complete Comfort, State Farm, M&R Contracting, Inc., Lock Haven Emergency Medical Services, Miller Bros. Auto Sales Inc., Nestlerode Contracting Company, Inc., VFW Benefits Center, and national sponsor The Allergan Foundation.
