Three Vermont locations will host Out of the Darkness Walks in the months of September and October, to raise awareness and funds for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Individuals are invited to walk or to donate to a walker.
AFSP has set a goal to reduce the annual suicide rate 20% by 2025, with the help of events such as these all over the nation.
Walk Schedules:
Saturday, September 10, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Gardner Park, Newport, VT
Saturday, September 17 – Toonerville Trail, Springfield, VT
Sunday, October 2 – Oakledge Park, Burlington, VT
Approximately 100 Vermonters die by suicide each year, and in 2014 there were 124 deaths by suicide. The Vermont Chapter of the AFSP works with the Vermont Suicide Prevention Center, which is a program of the Center for Health and Learning, to raise awareness around the state. Vermont exceeds the national average in suicide deaths, with a state rate of 19 versus a national rate of 13.
Participating in the Out of the Darkness Walks contributes to the effort of the hundreds of thousands of people who are walking to raise awareness and funds that allow AFSP to invest in new research, create educational programs, advocate for public policy, and support survivors of suicide loss.
AFSP is the leading national not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy, and to reaching out to people with mental disorders and those impacted by suicide.
If you are feeling suicidal, or are concerned about someone else, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or visit www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org to text/chat.
