News
April 27, 2022Suicide Prevention Walk and Fundraiser at UAlbany April 24
Suicide is the second leading cause of death during the typical college age in the United States, yet suicide can be prevented. For the 12th year, the University at Albany and the Albany community are joining the quarter-of-a-million people who are walking in towns and on campuses across the United States to draw attention to the fight for suicide prevention.
Closing out UAlbany’s annual Big Event weekend of service, the UAlbany Out of the Darkness Campus Walk will take place at noon April 24 at the Dutch Quad recreation fields on the Uptown Campus. The walk supports the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s (AFSP) education and support programs and its bold goal to reduce the annual U.S. suicide rate 20 percent by the year 2025.
“Suicide touches one in five American families. We hope that by walking we will draw attention to this issue and keep other families from experiencing a suicide loss. Our ultimate goal is to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide,” said Dan Egan, board chairman of the Capital Region Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
The UAlbany Out of the Darkness Campus Walk is one of more than 550 Out of the Darkness Overnight, Community and Campus Walks being held nationwide this year. The walks are expected to unite more than 300,000 walkers and raise millions of dollars for suicide prevention efforts. Last year, these walks raised over $21 million. This year, the UAlbany walk has raised over $18,000 and has nearly 520 participants already registered. The UAlbany walk has raised more than $100,000 over the past decade.
Registration information is available on the AFSP’s website or by contacting Robert Cardom at rcardom@albany.edu.
“Mental health stigma is a huge barrier that sometimes keeps people feeling alone and worrying that no one can understand what they are experiencing – or when they have lost someone to suicide,” said Cardom, who is a psychologist at UAlbany Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). “We walk every year to bring each other hope, healing, and connection. We walk to break down mental health stigma and to support the mental health and well-being of our students and community.”
“These walks are about turning hope into action,” said AFSP CEO Robert Gebbia. “The research has shown us how to fight suicide, and if we keep up the fight, the science is only going to get better and our culture will get smarter about mental health. With the efforts of our courageous volunteers, and a real investment from our nation’s leaders, we hope to significantly reduce the suicide rate in the United States.”
Supports at UAlbany: Students at UAlbany are welcome to call Counseling and Psychological Services for support 24/7 at 518-442-5800. The University at Albany also has a student group trained to listen and talk about feelings through their Middle Earth peer hotline at 518-442-5777. Middle Earth’s efforts were recently featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Community Supports: The National Suicide Prevention Hotline is available at 1-800-273-TALK. In a mental health emergency, you can also call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
