Out of the Darkness Campus Walks to fight suicide

The Press-Republican, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
·2 min read

Apr. 8—ALBANY — Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, yet suicide can be prevented.

Volunteers from the Capital Region and beyond are joining the quarter of a million people who are walking in towns across the United States to draw attention to the fight for suicide prevention. These six "Out of the Darkness Campus Walks, hosted by the Capital Region New York Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and college and university partners will be held at:

April 15: SUNY Plattsburgh, Amite Plaza 10 a.m.

April 15: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Campus, Troy 10 a.m.

April 22: University at Albany, Entry Plaza 10 a.m.

April 29: SUNY Adirondack, Queensbury 10 a.m.

April 29: 2023 — Siena College, Loudonville 11 a.m.

April 30: Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs 12:30 p.m.

These Walks support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's education and support programs and its bold goal to reduce the annual U.S. rate of suicide 20 percent by the year 2025.

"Suicide touches one in five American families. We hope that by walking we will draw attention to this issue and keep other families from experiencing a suicide loss. Our ultimate goal is to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide," Dan Egan, board chair Capital Region NY Chapter, said.

These "Out of the Darkness Campus Walks" are six of more than 550 Out of the Darkness Overnight, Community, and Campus Walks being held nationwide this year. The walks are expected to unite more than 300,000 walkers and raise millions for suicide prevention efforts. Last year, these walks raised over $21 million for suicide prevention. Last year the Capital Region Chapter's campus walks, raised over $48,000 and had more than 1,500 participants.

SUNY Plattsburgh Walk is proud to kick off the season of Campus Walks in upper New York State.

"For our first walk since before the pandemic, we have fantastic engagement from the campus and student organizations " Bonnie Black, Clinton County Coalition to Prevent Suicide chair, said.

"The Student Health & Counseling Center, Campus Housing & Community Living, Active Minds Chapter, Theta Alpha Lambda and Theta Phi Alpha are all on the Planning Committee. We are looking forward to a strong turnout on Saturday the 15th."

"These walks are about turning hope into action," AFSP CEO Robert Gebbia said.

"The research has shown us how to fight suicide, and if we keep up the fight, the science is only going to get better and our culture will get smarter about mental health. With the efforts of our courageous volunteers, and a real investment from our nation's leaders, we hope to significantly reduce the suicide rate in the United States."