By Cynthia Hubert
On Thursday, members of the Sacramento State community again will stand together in support of mental health awareness and suicide prevention. But because of concerns about the spreading coronavirus, they will take part in the annual Out of the Darkness Campus Walk using their cell phones and computers.
Sac State’s event has been the largest of any campus in the country in recent years, and drew more than 1,200 participants in 2019. Walkers marched through campus carrying signs, talking about hope for people who suffer from mental illness, and offering memories of loved ones lost to suicide.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the University’s approach to the march, but not its powerful message, said Lara Falkenstein, health educator in Sac State’s Student Health and Counseling Services.
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President Robert S. Nelsen, right and his wife, Jody Nelsen, have provided support for previous versions of the Out of the Darkness Campus Walk and are urging participatin in this year's virtual edition. (Sacramento State/Jessica Vernone)“Even though we are physically distancing, the message is the same," Falkenstein said. "It’s just as relevant today as any other year that we spread the word that we are ‘Standing Together, Never Alone.’ ”
This year’s walk will be featured live on Instagram and Facebook. To register as a virtual walker or to donate to the cause, go to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention website.
Participants this year will be able to attend an online Resource Fair, listen to speakers, watch videos and follow along as other walkers take to the streets while safely keeping a distance of at least six feet. They are encouraged to hold signs and tell their stories, just as they would have done had the event taken place on campus. Photos and videos will be shared in real time.
The event is a fundraiser for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and its education and prevention programs. Sac State’s goal this year is to raise $20,000, a number established before the virus began shuttering businesses and schools and forcing people to stay mostly at home.
“It would be great to get there, but every person who registers is important to the cause,” regardless of whether they are able to contribute money, Falkenstein said.
Among participants in the online march will be Sacramento State President Robert S. Nelsen and his wife, Jody, whose son Seth took his own life in 2001 at the age of 25.
“Let’s embrace one another virtually,” Nelsen said in a message to students, faculty and staff. “Let’s set a new record. We are Hornets. We will bring the horrors surrounding suicide out of the darkness.”
According to Active Minds, one of the sponsors of the Out of the Darkness marches, suicide is the second-most common cause of death among college students, claiming more than 1,100 lives each year. Yet half of students who have suicidal thoughts never seek help, the group’s data show.
With the viral pandemic disrupting life at every level, it is more important than ever to reach out to people who may be suffering from mental issues, Falkenstein said.
“It’s so important for people to be there for one another, especially right now,” she said.
The following platforms and hashtags are being used for the event:
Instagram: @outofthedarknesscsus
Facebook: Out of the Darkness Walk Event Page, AFSPSacramento
Hashtags: #hereforyou #standingtogetherneveralone #hornetfamily #WhyIWalk #SacState #HealthyHornets #AFSP #suicideprevention #worldneedsyouhere #SacStateOOTD