By: Rebecca Capozzi | Co-Editor-in-Chief
A sea of tie-dyed blue shirts filled McAuley’s lawn. Dozens of groups of people, including many Salve Regina sports teams, gathered by the Cliff Walk. Music was blaring and people were chatting. The morale seemed to be high on an absolutely gorgeous Saturday morning. What you would not expect, however, is that this seemingly joyous group of people were being brought together by one tragic thing that they have in common: They have all been closely affected by suicide.
On October 22nd, Salve Regina hosted Southern Rhode Island’s Out of the Darkness Walk, sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The walk brought together hundreds of people, some who have personally been affected, and others who were there to support this extremely important cause. There were 382 total participants, 83 of those being Salve Regina students. 28 total teams walked along with those who walked individually. “We had 142 more participants and raised 35% more funds than last year,” said Kerrie Constant, the Area Director for the Southern Rhode Island walks.
For the opening ceremony of the walk, all 382 participants gathered to hear the heart wrenching stories of loss and the touching stories of strength by nine participants. These nine participants were given different colored honor beads, symbolizing how they have been impacted by suicide. Many of the other participants were wearing these colored beads as well. The beads meant the following:
White: Loss of a child
Red: Loss of a spouse or partner
Gold: Loss of a parent
Orange: Loss of a sibling
Purple: Loss of a relative or friend
Silver: Loss of a first responder/military
Green: A personal struggle or attempt
Teal: Supporting someone who struggles or has attempted
Blue: Supporting suicide awareness
Each story of loss was as heart wrenching as the next, but these individuals’ strength made the stories so much more real and emotional. These individuals wanted their stories and the stories of their loved ones to be heard, and they sure were. Throughout the event, the sounds of the participants chanting, “It’s okay to not be okay”, and “You’re not alone” was heard echoing on the Cliff Walk.
“What made the Southern Rhode Island Walk such a great success [is the] strong and courageous people who share their connection to the cause, support one another and utilize the event as a platform to create a culture to talk openly about being smarter about mental health and action for suicide prevention,” Constant said. One of the points made in the opening ceremony is that the importance of mental health is continuously belittled by physical health, while both should be seen as equally important. The great turnout and energy surrounding this walk should prove that this is not the case.
The original fundraising goal for this walk was $50,000, which they have surpassed substantially. As of now, they have fundraised $61,411. These donations, and all of the donations made to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, are used in order to fund the Out of the Darkness Walks and other events, memorial/tribute funds, and to collaborate with participating organizations.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the coordinators for the Southern Rhode Island Out of the Darkness Walk are very appreciative of the Salve Regina community for their partnership and support during this event. “The energy and support from the Salve Regina University student walk team and student volunteers were amazing- from planning and setting up the walk route, running stations, and packing up for the day. We couldn’t have asked for a better volunteer crew,” Constant said. Constant would also like to thank Kathleen Farley, Salve Regina’s associate Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students for welcoming all the participants during the opening ceremony.
When these walks first started to be held in 2004, people did not expect there to be a good turnout. Now, hundreds of these walks are hosted all over the country each year, with millions of dollars being raised. This shows exactly what their mission stands for: Mental health is just as important as physical health.
If you are interested in donating to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention or want to learn more about the organization, click here.
Photos by Rebecca Capozzi
