Out of the Darkness Walk raises awareness of suicide

Posted 8/21/12

GREENTOWN, PA — The fifth annual Pike and Wayne Community Out of the Darkness Walk for Suicide Awareness and Prevention will be held on Saturday, September 13 (rain or shine) at Promised Land State …

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Out of the Darkness Walk raises awareness of suicide

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GREENTOWN, PA — The fifth annual Pike and Wayne Community Out of the Darkness Walk for Suicide Awareness and Prevention will be held on Saturday, September 13 (rain or shine) at Promised Land State Park. More than 250 walkers participated in last year’s annual event. Registration begins at 8 a.m. with the walk starting promptly at 9 a.m. Participants may walk in teams or as individuals. Dogs are welcome; however, they must be properly leashed.

According to statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), someone dies by suicide every 13.3 minutes in the United States. A suicide attempt is made every minute of every day, resulting in one million attempts annually. Suicide is a serious public health problem that takes an enormous toll on families, friends, classmates, co-workers and communities, as well as military personnel and veterans. What is known about the causes of suicide trails significantly behind the knowledge of other life-threatening illnesses and conditions, due largely to the stigma surrounding suicide.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is the leading national not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy, and reaching out to people with mental disorders and those impacted by suicide. By participating in the AFSP’s Out of the Darkness Walks you can help raise awareness about mental illness and suicide, as well as to provide comfort and assistance to those who have lost a loved one to suicide.

For more information about the local walk, to register in advance or to make a donation, visit www.outofthedarkness.org and click on “find an event” to locate the Pike and Wayne Community walk on September 13, 2014. If you have questions call Pat Gainey at 215/746-7256 or email pgainey@afsp.org.

The Pike and Wayne Suicide Awareness Committee sponsors monthly support groups for survivors of suicide loss on the fourth Thursday of each month from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Wayne Memorial Hospital’s Conference Room 3, 601 Park St., Honesdale. Support sessions are designed for individuals who have lost a family member, friend, or co-worker to suicide. They are run by trained AFSP facilitators, and many themselves are survivors of suicide loss. The Pike County Suicide Loss Support Group will be resuming later this fall.

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