With eight laps around the HPER’s indoor track, participants of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Out of Darkness walk looked to honor loved ones and spread awareness for suicide prevention.
“Community walks and campus walks are to help raise money and to give people a place to come together if they have been affected by suicide in any way,” Sarah Sobel, the event’s AFSP coordinator said. “We’ve been doing this since 2017 or ‘18.”
Sobel said the AFSP has partnered with both UCA and Hendrix for the walk through alternating from year to year which campus the event is held on.
Due to inclement weather, the walk was held inside the HPER Center rather than being a walk through campus — though the message remains the same.
“It gives both campuses a chance to come together and work with each other,” Sobel said. “I’m hoping the biggest impact is that people are aware that there are, unfortunately, many people affected by suicide, but they are not alone – whether they’re struggling with it themselves or whether they have lost someone they care about to it.”
Suicide is the third-leading cause of death among people aged 15-24, according to the AFSP.
Participants in the event were able to choose different colors of beads to represent a loved one who died from suicide.
The different color-coordinated beads represented a variety of people impacted by suicide, including those who lost a child, spouse, parent or sibling.
Additionally, beads were given out for suicide victims in the LGBTQ+ community and those who were either in the military or emergency services.
“We walk for those who we honor,” Associate Dean of Students Veneta Fricks said. “And we do that with the bead color.”
Susan Green, senior community liaison for The Bridgeway Mental Health Clinic, said, “We just love to support anybody that’s struggling with suicidal thoughts or has a history of that in the past or with family members.”
“Any way we can reach out and support those folks and provide information or resources – just to let them know that we’re here,” Green said. “We admire what they’re going through, whether it’s in their past or their family or whatever their situation is.”
Bridgeway provides mental health counseling services for children, teenagers and adults. It also provides substance abuse services for people 18 and over.
Before the walk, SGA President Phoenix Vu gave an opening address stressing the importance of suicide awareness and prevention.
“We may be here for different reasons or for different people, but we’re all here today for the same mission – to spread awareness, to share hope and to save lives,” Vu said. “Us together here today sends a unified message to anyone who may be struggling with mental health that you are not alone.”
Vu mentioned many of the mental health resources available to students at UCA, including the counseling center.
“I can’t emphasize enough that the hurdles life throws at you are temporary, but taking your own life is permanent,” Vu said. “By getting together this day, by spreading awareness, by sending hope and by really being here, we’re literally taking steps to save lives.”
