Out of Darkness Walk seeks volunteers, sponsors, donors, teams as Sept. 24 walk approaches

After two years of little activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Out of Darkness Walk, raising money for suicide awareness, will return wholly, taking place at 10 a.m. Sept. 24 at the Exchange Street Parking Deck.

As of Tuesday, Aug. 16, $7,260 of the $10,000 goal has been met.

Money raised goes to public campaigns to help spread suicide awareness and destigmatize what is now a leading cause of death in the U.S.

"As a society we have been through a lot in the last two, three years, and so I think just the awareness that not everybody is equipped with the same coping skills (is important," Keri Crenshaw, one of the walk's organizers, said. "So I think just to bring that to kind of the forefront of the conversation.

"... It doesn't mean there's something wrong with you, you don't have to be embarrassed or hide. (This campaign is) just to kind of be able to talk more about mental health, and then therefore suicide prevention."

To volunteer, donate, sponsor or form/join a team for the September walk, click here.

Crenshaw said she hopes to see teams challenging one another this year. Whether it be local doctor's offices seeing who can raise the most money, or local restaurants.

"(We're) hoping that it would reach a greater part of the community (this year), and that we can get as many folks involved in any capacity," Crenshaw said.

For more information on the local walk, visit supporting.afsp.org, or call Cindi Adams at 503-432-0485.

Out of Darkness Walk