Walkers take to the streets to fight suicide

Hundreds of people are expected to take part next month in the Oakland/Rochester/Macomb Out of the Darkness Community Walk hosted by American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Michigan Chapter at Stony Creek Eastwood Beach.

The fundraising walk on Saturday, Oct. 13 supports the organization’s local and national education and advocacy programs and its goal to reduce the annual rate of suicide 20 percent by 2025.

“We walk to raise awareness about this important health issue. Suicide touches one in five American families. We hope that by walking we save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide,” said Steve Windom, area director for Michigan.

The event, set to get underway at 11 a.m., is one of more than 375 Out of the Darkness Community Walks being held nationwide this year.

The walks are expected to unite more than 250,000 walkers and raise millions for suicide prevention efforts.

With this walk last year, the Oakland/Rochester/Macomb walk raised more than $50,000 and had over 500 participants.

Featured speaker at the Shelby Township Out of the Darkness Walk will include State Rep. Pete Lucido. Sponsors include Beaumont Hospital, Magna International, Meijer, Suburban Ford, and Brighton Labs.

“These walks are about turning hope into action,” said AFSP CEO Robert Gebbia. “Suicide is a serious problem, but it’s a problem we can solve. The research has shown us how to fight suicide, and if we keep up the fight the science is only going to get better, our culture will get smarter about mental health, and we’ll be able to save more people from dying from depression and other mental health conditions.” 

For more information or to register, visit afsp.org/rochestermi.

––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
http://www.legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available