The 2022 Out of the Darkness suicide prevention campus walk at Arkansas Tech University raised $8,623.51 to support research, education and outreach efforts led by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).
The walk, which exceeded its goal of raising $8,000, included 230 registered participants. It was the first in-person Out of the Darkness walk at ATU since 2019 due to COVID-19.
Arkansas Tech and St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center Turning Point Adult Behavioral Health have collaborated to host the suicide prevention walk at ATU since 2014. The walk is co-directed by Kristy Davis, associate dean for student wellness and director of the health and wellness center at ATU, and Matthew Klein, community education manager at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center.
Data from the AFSP shows that suicide is one of the two leading causes of death among Arkansans age 10-34 and that Arkansas exceeds the national average for deaths by suicide per 100,000 residents. In 2019, more than 500 individuals in Arkansas died by suicide.
Those wishing to donate to the 2022 ATU Out of the Darkness walk may do so at www.afsp.org/atu through June 30.
