On October 8th, Oakley will host its second annual Out of the Darkness Community Walk. The walk will take place at Cypress Grove Community Park, located at 4001 Frank Hengel Way. Registration will begin at 8:00am. The opening ceremony and walk will start at 9:00am.
Last year’s walk had more than 700 people participate to show solidarity against the stigmas surrounding suicide and mental illness. The event raised more than $40,000 in funds.
This year they are hoping to increase participation and raise additional funds.
The event was the created by Oakley City Councilwoman Vanessa Perry who carried on efforts made by then Councilwoman Diane Burgis and Supervisor Mary Piepho. It was a result of an increase of suicides within the City of Oakley where they had a total of 11 in 2014—more than the previous 5-years combined.
Out of the Darkness Community Walks are fundraising walks supporting the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. There are over 360 Out of the Darkness Community Walks taking place throughout the U.S. this fall. Funds will support vital research, education, advocacy, suicide prevention initiatives and programs to support those impacted by suicide. AFSP’s goal is to reduce the annual rate of suicide by 20 percent by 2025.
“The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is the nation’s leading non-profit organization exclusively dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy as well as providing resources for survivors of suicide loss.” – Vanessa Perry, AFSP Board Member and Oakley Out of the Darkness Walk Chair
Registration is free. To find out more, sign up to volunteer or walk at the event, please go to https://afsp.org/oakley.
