UMaine, St. Joseph Healthcare to host Out of Darkness Community Walk Oct. 4
The University of Maine Counseling Center and St. Joseph Healthcare will host the seventh annual Out of the Darkness Community Walk on Sunday, Oct. 4.
Funds raised from the event will benefit research initiatives of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).
Day-of registration for the noncompetitive 5K walk through campus and surrounding areas will begin at 1 p.m. The walk, which is open to the public, begins at 2 p.m. after an opening ceremony on the Mall in front of Fogler Library.
The Orono walk is one of more than 350 Out of the Darkness walks that take place in communities across the country each year. More than 500 people participated in last year’s Orono walk which raised more than $18,000 for the Maine Chapter of AFSP.
Funds raised for AFSP also support the online Touchstone Web Stress & Depression Questionnaire, a free and anonymous resource for UMaine students.
This year’s walk will emphasize awareness of service members and veterans who have been affected by suicide. Walk participants will carry a flower to represent a loved one they have lost. A remembrance ceremony, which was a new feature of the walk last year, will be held along the Stillwater River near the Steam Plant Parking Lot.
Guest speakers will include Emily Cain, a UMaine alumna and former state senator from Orono, and Kirk Grant, team leader at the Bangor Vet Center.
Other major sponsors for this year’s walk include Acadia Hospital, Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Northern New England and H.O. Bouchard, Inc.
Volunteer and participant registration is online. For more information, call Kelly Shaw at 581.1392.