Out of Darkness Walk set for mid-September to bring awareness to suicide prevention

CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is holding its Out of Darkness Walk in Clarksville on Saturday, Sept. 14, on the campus of Austin Peay State University.

Jerome Viltz with the organization talked about the importance of raising awareness of suicide. Viltz said that many people don’t want to talk about suicide, so it stays in the darkness, and we want to shine a light on it and help bring attention to the problem of suicide.

“There are many people in our community that are living in darkness, a lot of people who suffer, a lot of time they suffer in silence, and they feel hopeless. Sometimes they feel the only way out is to take their own life,” Viltz said.

The event is a fundraiser for AFSP, but there is no fee to walk. Friends, family members, neighbors and co-workers will all be walking side-by-side, supporting each other in memory of those who have been lost to suicide. The walk will also help raise awareness about mental health and suicide prevention.

Viltz shared some statistics about suicide saying it the 11^th leading cause of death in the United States. “Close to home, here in Tennessee, the average is 16.7 deaths by suicide per 100,000 people, which is higher than the national average which is 14.3 per 100,000,” Viltz said.

Viltz also talked about how people can find help with the 24-hour suicide hotline phone number which is 988. He said if anyone is suffering with suicidal thoughts, feeling alone or hopeless, we want people to know they are not alone.

Registration for the Out of Darkness Walk on Sept. 14 will open at 9 a.m. with the walk starting at 10 a.m., following a brief ceremony. The walk will begin and end at the APSU Morgan University Center and is approximately a mile in length around the university campus.

To learn more about the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Out for Darkness Walk, or to pre-register, visit AFSP.org/Clarksville. To volunteer or to have a booth at the event, email jerome.viltz@gamil.com, or phyllis.viltz@gmail.com.