Walk into the light

Step out of the darkness and into the light.

On Sunday, Sept. 10, Carrington City Park will host the second annual Out of the Darkness Walk with a goal to raise awareness and funds for suicide prevention.

The walk is organized locally by the Carrington Healthy Communities Coalition with support from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).

Funds raised from the Out of the Darkness Walks allow the AFSP to invest in research, create educational programs, advocate for public policy and support survivors of suicide loss in our area.

Carrington's inaugural Out of the Darkness Walk in September 2022 saw 206 walkers and generated $27,000 in donations and sponsorships.

This year's fundraising goal is $30,000, and organizers hope to see at least 250 walkers at the second annual event.

Mark your calendars for Sunday, Sept. 10. The event begins with a free-will donation lunch at 12:30 p.m. Registration gets underway at 1 p.m., and the walk officially begins with a short opening ceremony at 2 p.m.

Registration is open now, and anyone interested in supporting suicide prevention efforts in the community are encouraged to register. As walk co-chair Lisa Hilbert notes, it is not necessary to raise money to participate in the walk, and walking is not required to attend the day's events.

In addition to the walk, there will be a quilt raffle drawing. Attendees of the first annual walk filled in squares on a paper quilt with colors to represent how they had been affected by suicide. Then members of the local quilting club made a real quilt using the pattern created, and the drawing for the quilt will be held during the opening ceremony of this year's event.

Raffle tickets for the quilt will be available to purchase beginning June 21. The cost is $1 each, and a maximum of 1,500 tickets will be sold. Watch for walk organizers at community events this summer, where tickets will be available for sale along with registration materials and community resources.

Another addition to the lineup this year is the Silent Auction. Donations will be accepted until walk day, and anyone in attendance can bid on items. All proceeds from the Silent Auction will be added to the event's total.

Walk proceeds make programs possible

The proceeds from last year's walk made resources and programs available to residents of all ages.

One of the most basic resources provided by ASFP is a book titled "Gizmo's Pawsome Guide to Mental Health." Written from a dog's perspective, it offers guidance to children on how to recognize and cope with sad, mad and worried feelings and related behaviors, and aims to make managing mental health a part of their everyday life.

"Gizmo gives children and their trusted adults a common language to talk about mental health, and offers a unique way for kids to learn how to talk about mental health with a trusted adult. By establishing this open dialogue early in life, it helps to normalize mental health as part of overall health and wellbeing," said Robert Gebbia, AFSP CEO. "Research shows that the presence of a caring, trusted adult in a young person's life can improve mental health outcomes."

Every elementary classroom at Carrington Public School, as well as the school library and the Carrington City Library, all have a copy of the book.

AFSP also delivered suicide prevention programming with walk dollars. Samantha Christopherson, Dakotas Area Director for the AFSP, facilitated these programs this past year.

One such program, "It's Real: Teens and Mental Health," was geared towards high school students. This 45-minute program provides young people with mental health education and resources. The program raises awareness about mental health issues, how to start a conversation about mental health, the importance of self-care and how to reach out for help.

As co-chairs Amber Kruse and Lisa Hilbert explained Tuesday, mental health programming and services are made available to not only the local Carrington community but also to the "broader area." For example, dollars raised from Carrington's 2022 walk were used to provide services in Jamestown as well.

Another program Hilbert and Kruse are interested in offering more is "Talk Saves Lives." This community-based presentation can be delivered in less than an hour and covers the general scope of suicide, the research on prevention and what people can do to fight suicide.

"Talk Saves Lives" is available to businesses, community organizations or groups interested in starting the conversation about prevention. Interested groups should contact Hilbert at lhilbert@nd.gov or (701) 650-1673 or Kruse at nakruse@daktel.com or (701) 652-5811.

Carrington Health Communities Coalition is actively seeking sponsors for the September walk. A variety of opportunities and benefits are available at sponsorship levels from $250 to $3,000. Sponsorship dollars are tax-deductible and will be used to provide resources and support to the broader area, as noted above. With a donation of $500 or above, a business can have its logo printed on the annual walk t-shirts. In order to take full advantage of the sponsorship benefits, sponsor commitments must be received by August 1.

For sponsorship opportunities and walk details, go online to afsp.org/carrington.