UA Counseling Center, Tide Against Suicide and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention hosted their annual Out of the Darkness Walk on Sunday to bring National Suicide Prevention Week to a close.
“Out of the Darkness Walk is a community event for Tuscaloosa and campus together,” said Michelle Moss, staff therapist and suicide prevention coordinator for the Counseling Center. “It is the culminating event for a week of suicide prevention and awareness.”
The walk occurs each year in the fall in collaboration with AFSP, which is a national nonprofit organization that helps fund resources in local communities for people who are or know someone who is experiencing suicidal thoughts or has lost someone to suicide.
At the time of publication, the AFSP fundraising campaign featured on the organization’s website has raised close to $28,000 out of the yearly goal of $30,000. Ryan Sims, an AFSP Alabama chapter board member, said the money raised will be dedicated to the state chapter and national research for suicide prevention strategies.
“The biggest thing we’re doing right now is getting the word out about 988, the three-digit hotline number that will connect you to a local crisis center in case you or someone you know is in a suicide crisis,” Sims said.
The federal government began funding the 988 initiative at the beginning of 2021 as a number people could call, like 911 but for mental health crises. Sims said that federal funding is close to running out and that AFSP’s major focus is connecting with Alabama state legislators to get state funding. He said AFSP asks people to become “call advocates” and email their representatives.
“The more people we have in communities around the state to just email their legislators and say, ‘Hey, I support this funding,’ it gets it on their radar,” Sims said. “It’s so easy to go on the AFSP website, and all you have to do is type in your district and your address and it’ll find the senators in your district.”
Anna Mills Fleenor, a senior majoring in social work and president of Tide Against Suicide, said that this year more people were pre-registered for the walk than last year. Nearly 400 people registered online and more registered in person.
“It’s a huge community of people that know that raising awareness for suicide prevention is important and promoting mental health is important,” Fleenor said.
Before the walk began, community members gathered together and listened to several speakers, all of whom had their own unique experiences.
Aly McNair, a senior majoring in news media who was one of the speakers, said that in high school she was inspired to start a social initiative called “The Glowstick Project” to encourage people to talk about their mental health struggles.
“It started in 2019 and snowballed from there. I just found myself wishing that there was a little bit more that I could do to deal with losing my mother at an early age,” McNair said. “I went around my high school and I made little yellow ribbons, gave them out to all my teachers.”
McNair said that this encouraged her to turn her experience into motivation and inspiration for others.
After two laps around the Quad, participants made their way back to the Student Center Plaza for the closing ceremony, where participants blew bubbles into the air.
“You matter, you are enough and you are important,” speakers Katherine and Zoe Glave said.
If you or anyone you know is struggling, please call 205-348-5454 to speak with the University of Alabama Police Department and ask for the on-call counselor immediately. Alternatively, call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
