MASON CITY – United Way of North Central Iowa and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention held the fifth annual Out of the Darkness Community Walk on Saturday, October 8 at Southbridge Mall, Mason City. The goal of the walk was to raise awareness of suicide, help alleviate the stigma of mental illness, and honor loved ones lost. Proceeds will benefit local and national suicide prevention and awareness programs.
248 Walkers attended this event on Saturday, compared to 177 in 2010. Walkers were encouraged to raise funds for suicide prevention efforts and research, and successfully raised $7,300 and counting, an 18% increase over 2010.
There was a brief program preceding the walk where attendees placed names and pictures of their loved ones lost on a large Memory Board, and then released balloons in their honor. The mood was hopeful and healing for many as by walking they were paying additional respects to the friends and family members they may have lost to this preventable fate. Many people walked to simply raise awareness for mental illness and suicide with hopes of saving lives in north central Iowa.
United Way’s mission is to support programs that empower healthy lifestyles, with an emphasis on mental health. United Way of North Central Iowa helps to coordinate this walk to raise funds for our local Survivors of Suicide Loss Support Group, and annual National Survivors Conference on Saturday, November 19, 2011. The National Survivors Conference is a day that provides an environment where survivors can address the questions that so many newly bereaved survivors face: Why did this happen? How do I cope? Where can I find support?. Experts on suicide share information on what is currently known about suicide and grief, and offer advice and guidance on how to move forward.
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. The current suicide rate, at 11.8% per 100,000 people, is the highest it has been since 1993. Every 14.6 minutes someone dies by suicide. Though suicide attempts are not reported, it is estimated that close to one million people make a suicide attempt each year.
To learn more about Out of the Darkness, please log on to www.outofthedarkness.org
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