The St. Thomas Aquinas Women’s Lacrosse Team took part in the Out of the Darkness Walk to Save Lives on Sunday at Rockland Lake State Park.  The Lady Spartans joined a larger group that was walking in honor of head coach Stephanie Hopkins’s father and helped to raise over $1,600 that will be used to increase awareness of suicide prevention. 

The Out of the Darkness Community Walks are 3-5 mile walks taking place in over 250 communities across the country this year, with the proceeds benefitting the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). By walking in the Out of the Darkness Community Walks, you walk with thousands of other walkers nationwide to raise money for AFSP's vital research and education programs to prevent suicide and save lives, increase national awareness about depression and suicide, and provide support for survivors of suicide loss.

In the United States, a person dies by suicide every 15 minutes, claiming more than 36,000 lives each year. It is estimated that an attempt is made every minute, with close to one million people attempting suicide annually. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. among adults 18-65, the second leading cause of death among teens and young adults, and individuals ages 65 and older account for 16 percent of all suicide deaths. This is a public health issue that does not discriminate by age, gender, ethnicity, or socio-economic status.

AFSP funds research aimed at improving our understanding of suicide and ways to prevent it as well as educational programs to increase awareness about prevention, warning signs and the psychiatric illnesses that can lead to suicide.

For more information, please visit http://afsp.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.home