They walked to make a difference, some arm-in-arm, some carrying hand-lettered signs – “Mental illness is not a personal failure,” “You matter” – most smiling or laughing, but some in tears, remembering loved ones lost to suicide.

More than 1,300 students, faculty, staff, community members, some accompanied by their dogs, made the 2-mile round-trip from The WELL to residence halls for Sacramento State’s eighth annual Out of the Darkness Campus Walk, on April 11. The theme was “Hope Walks Here.”

Students, faculty, staff, and community members joined in the Out of the Darkness Campus Walk. (Sacramento State/Jessica Vernone) | More photos

“You don’t know standing here just how powerful your presence is and just how much this really means to so many people you may never meet,” Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg told the crowd gathered outside The WELL for the opening ceremony.

“As a Hornet Family, we can be there for people when they need us,” said University President Robert S. Nelsen, who was joined at the podium by his wife, Jody.

With 2,103 individuals registered (approximately 700 registrants participated virtually), it was Sac State’s largest Out of the Darkness Walk to date and might prove to be the nation’s largest for the third consecutive year.

In 2018, Sac State registered 1,519 walkers and raised $16,952.50 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and its education and prevention programs. In 2017, 950 participants donated $13,667 for AFSP’s programs.

The goal this year is to raise $22,000 for AFSP’s efforts. The total raised so far is $12,600, with a June 30 donation deadline.

The "Send Silence Packing" display of backpacks on the Library Quad was part of the University's suicide-prevention activities. (Sacramento State/Hratch Avetisyan) | More photos

The Out of the Darkness Campus Walk came three days after the powerful “Send Silence Packing” exhibit in the Library Quad. The more than 1,000 backpacks placed on the lawn represented the number of college students lost to suicide each year.

Many backpacks were donated by grieving families and friends in memory of their loved ones. Some bags held personal stories and photographs.

“Send Silence Packing,” currently on a cross-country tour of college campuses, was created by the nonprofit Active Minds to bring greater attention to mental illness and suicide. Sac State’s chapter of Active Minds and Student Health & Counseling Services (SHCS) supplied representatives to offer support and alert students to campus resources. A large mental health resource fair preceded the campus walk.

Active Minds reports that half of all students who have suicidal thoughts never seek counseling or treatment. By participating in the walk, organizers said, participants supported at-risk students, survivors of attempted suicide, and anyone whose life has been touched by suicide.

“Having both events during the same week continued the conversation surrounding mental health and suicide, and reducing the stigma on our campus and in the community,” said Lara Falkenstein, SHCS health educator. “And ‘Send Silence Packing’ provided a perspective of the real lives lost each year to suicide and emphasized the importance of our hosting the annual Out of the Darkness Walk.” – Dixie Reid