Arkansas Tech University will host its 2017 Out of the Darkness suicide prevention campus walk in Russellville on Saturday, April 15.
Registration will begin at 8 a.m. at Doc Bryan Student Services Center. The 1.5-mile walk will start at 9 a.m. in front of the Doc Bryan Center. Any individual is eligible to walk. There is no fee to participate. Teams and individuals can raise and donate money if they so choose.
Data from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) shows that suicide is one of the two leading causes of death among Arkansans age 10-34.
“So many lives have been touched by suicide,” said Kristy Davis, ATU associate dean for student wellness and co-coordinator of the event alongside Tonya Gosnell of Turning Point Adult Behavioral Health at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center. “Some of us walk to honor our loved ones and some of us are walking to save future lives. No matter the reason, I’m just glad so many in our community and surrounding areas gather for the event each year.”
In its first three years, the ATU Out of the Darkness walk has raised $57,803. Tech ranked among the top 10 AFSP fund-raising campus walks in the United States in 2014 and 2015.
Last year, the ATU walk ranked No. 6 in the nation with $21,593 raised for suicide prevention initiatives.
Individuals or teams may register in advance and learn more at www.afsp.org/atu.
