College event is part of nationwide Out of the Darkness suicide prevention effort
QUEENSBURY, New York (April 16, 2024) — For the fourth year, SUNY Adirondack joins the national Out of the Darkness Campus Walk to increase suicide awareness at 11 a.m. April 27 on the college’s Queensbury campus.
This year’s event, Hope Walks Here, is part of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s (AFSP) event to draw attention to the fight for suicide prevention.
“Suicide touches one in five American families,” said Holly Irion, event organizer, counselor and assistant professor of Counseling at SUNY Adirondack. “Our goal is to de-stigmatize mental health concerns to help prevent our community from suffering such unimaginable losses.”
Suicide is the 10th-leading cause of death in the United States, and the second-leading cause in adults ages 20 to 34. Volunteers at the SUNY Adirondack event are joining a quarter of a million people walking in towns across the United States.
Hope Walks Here supports the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s education and support programs. According to the AFSP, the walk is one of more than 550 Out of the Darkness events being held nationwide this year. The walks are expected to unite more than 300,000 walkers and raise millions for suicide prevention efforts.
“These walks are about turning hope into action,” said AFSP CEO Robert Gebbia. “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.”
Register for SUNY Adirondack's Hope Walks Here event at afsp.org/sunyadk.
About AFSP
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. AFSP creates a culture that’s smart about mental health through education and community programs, develops suicide prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, and with a public policy office in Washington, D.C., AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states with programs and events nationwide. Learn more about AFSP in its latest Annual Report, and join the conversation on suicide prevention by following AFSP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
