Goal surpassed for Staunton Out of the Darkness Walk

The Staunton Out of the Darkness Walk exceeded the fund-raising goals for the first walk to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Walk Coordinator Kimberly Sours set a goal of $25,000 for the October 10 walk held at Gypsy Hill Park in Staunton. AFSP updated the walk page October 27 showing a total of $39,035.58 raised. The walk page also reported 578 registered walkers.

“Thank you for walking with us and helping break a record for our area,” wrote Ryan Newcomb, AFSP Regional Director DC-National Capital Area, Maryland and Virginia, in an email to those who participated in the walk. “Nearly 600 of us stood together to fight suicide and be the voice against the stigma around mental illness and getting help.”

The fundraising walk supported the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s local and national programs and its bold goal to reduce the annual rate of suicide 20 percent by 2025. The purpose of the walk to is to raise awareness and funding around the complex topic of suicide.  The walks also aim to promote research, educational programming and advocating for public policy.

The Staunton Out Of The Darkness Walk was one of more than 350 Out of the Darkness Community walks being held nationwide this fall. The walks are expected to unite more than 150,000 walkers and raise millions for suicide prevention efforts.

Donations are being accepted toward the walk through Dec. 31, 2015. For more information, visit http://afsp.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=3281

For more information on AFSP, visit their website at www.afsp.org

Other Items

Save the Date: The 2016 Staunton Out of the Darkness Walk has tentatively been set for Oct. 8, 2016, at Gypsy Hill Park in Staunton.

2015 International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day: The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and Augusta Health are presenting a screening of Family Journeys on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015 – part of the 2015 International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day.The event will include refreshments, small group discussions and more. 12:30 – 3 p.m., Community Care Building, 64 Sports Medicine Drive, Fishersville. No RSVP required. Info: Nancy Koplin, [email protected], 540.490.2320, SurvivorDay.org.