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Even as we begin plans for the 2010 Out of the Darkness Community Walk, it feels good to remember and to share the wonderful experience of last year’s. We’ve put together a pictorial of memories along with personal comments from individuals who were present during this meaningful day:
PICTORIAL OF 2009 OUT OF THE DARKNESS COMMUNITY WALK
(page 1 of 3)
September 12, 2009
Mount Trashmore
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Special thanks to our photographer for making the pictorial possible - Hyunsoo Leo Kim
Our local sponsor, the Hampton Roads Survivors of Suicide Support Group and our national sponsor, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, were eager to welcome everyone to the Out of the Darkness Community Walk!
Mt. Trashmore at Virginia Beach, with its lake mountain and accommodations, was a beautiful location for our Walk.
Everyone needed to check in whether pre-registered or not. Sixteeen volunteers, headed by Susan Rowe from TowneBank were available to assist over 1855 registrants! They did a great job.
Many people added personal messages to the 2009 banner which was signed during the Walk.
People were invited to wear a silver ribbon as an armband to increase awareness of depression & suicide and if you lost a loved one to suicide, you were invited to wear a colored armband to remember them: purple for a child lost, red for a parent, blue for a spouse, green for a sibling and gold if it were another relationship.
We had many generous and caring sponsors. If you raised over $150 to donate to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, you were given an Out of the Darkness Community T-shirt. Any money raised funded research, education and treatment programs to prevent suicide. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is our country's only non-profit organization exclusively to prevent suicide.
You also had a chance to order a T-Shirt with the crane symbol on it; it was especially designed for the Walk by Susan Romero
Three of our sponsors provided great breakfast: Chick-Fil-A, Flowers Bakery of Norfolk and Starbucks.
There's an activity table for families to have fun together making crafts.
You could decorate or personalize a frizbee to fly off Mt. Trashmore.
The crane, an international symbol of hope, healing and peace, was chosen to represent the Walk. Legend has it that if you fold 1,000 origami cranes your prayers will be answered. Members of SOS made 1,000 folding into each a prayer for those who died by suicide and for those struggling with depression -- a symbol of our hope to bring depression and suicide out of the darkness into the light. The starting point of the Walk was marked by a curtain of these cranes. It was beautiful! Volunteers and staff of the Walk provided instruction and support in learning how to create your own crane -- with 26 folds. It may seem hard at first -- but you can do it. (see:
Legend of the Crane)
There was a Memory Wall for individuals who lost a loved one to suicide for adding pictures or notes and to honor them. There was a quote to add a healing perspective: "Our loved ones are not defined by the way they died. They are defined by the way they lived and were loved."
Fifteen clinically licensed mental health professionals were available to answer questions, hand out information, and assist with a Depression Inventory.
Barry Katz, Amy Riccio, Lisa Creef, Rick Jaglowski, Bob Paul, Anne Graham, Christy Letsom, Teresa Gadoy, Doris Mitnick, Mary Reeves, Sallie Gilmore, Elise Greene, Mary McGrath, Denise Mullins, & Nicci Surething
Please go to page 2 of our pictorial by clicking here
