Western Kentucky University’s fifth annual Out of Darkness Walk

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Community members and students from Western Kentucky University held their fifth annual Out of Darkness Walk Saturday.

“We are here walking alongside one another in honor of those who have lost a loved one to suicide or who have experienced a personal struggle themselves,” said Brodie Curtsinger, a member of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, mental health affects more than one in five adults.

Over 50 people came in support of the Out of Darkness walk, wearing beads that signify different experiences. Each color’s representation ranged from losing a friend to suicide, losing a first responder, standing in unity against suicide and for personal struggles.

“They have honor beads and we get to see what other people have been through just by the beads that they wear around them,” Curtsinger said.

Organizers are urging advocacy to suicide prevention and learning the signs to help save a life. Curtsinger said each donation and share of a story contributes greatly.

Curtsinger, “It is affecting the world, what ASFP does. I believe it is the leading cause of suicide prevention within the entirety of the United States. What we do does have an effect on communities, on campuses.”

Paying attention to behavioral patterns, moods, mental health statuses and how a person talks helps identify if someone is going through a mental health crisis. If you have observed that someone may be in need of help, listen to them privately, take them seriously, and for personal struggles, call or text 9-8-8.