by JIEUN HONG                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Reporter
(WARRENSBURG, Mo., digitalBURG) — The UCM student chapter of American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is hosting a campus “Out of the Darkness” walk on Saturday to fight suicide.
More than 72 people are expected to gather and walk around UCM campus to show how they are struggling with depression and to recognize each other.
April Roller, AFSP student chapter president, lost her husband to suicide, leaving her and their three little boys. Roller said her husband struggled with severe depression and anxiety in his short life. She and her family could got healing by attending an Out of Darkness walk in Kansas City. That experience inspired her to reach out to local Warrensburg survivors.
“It doesn’t matter what age you are, nationality or your sexual preference, “Roller said. “It affects everyone. “Hopefully when we have our campus walks, everyone is going to be able to look around and see just the mix of people are there…I don’t want to people to be alone.”
This is the first time UCM will be hosting the event. While there may have been an Out of the Darkness Community Walk in Warrensburg in 2015, this event focuses more on UCM students.
“We lost too many students to suicide,” Roller said. “We have a lot of students struggling.”
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for ages 25 to 34 and the third leading cause of death for ages 15 to 24, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Some people avoid if we talk about suicide, it will cause suicide to happen,” Roller said. “That’s not true. Let’s recognize each other. We are not alone. Let’s be together. We can survive.”
To register as a volunteer, individual, team, or virtual walker, visit afsp.donordrive.com/event/ucmo.
For more information, contact April Roller, at 816-258-3502 or [email protected].
Campus Walk Schedule:
Registration at 11 a.m.
Opening Ceremony at 12:45 p.m.
Walk Performance by the UCM Rainbow Tones Walk begins at 1 p.m.
Reading of the Names at 2:30 p.m.
Raffle Draw at 2:45 p.m.
Closing Remarks at 2:55 p.m.
Walk ends at 3 p.m.