Out of the Darkness walk slated for Saturday
By Steve Herring
Published in News on September 25, 2017 5:50 AM
Diana Coutts organized the first Out of the Darkness Community Walk in 2014 following the suicide of her son.
She has since died, but her mission to raise awareness about suicide is being carried on and will be held Saturday, Sept. 30, at Herman Park.
Registration will start at 9 a.m. with the two-mile walk being held from 10 a.m. to noon.
Fifty percent of all net funds raised locally will stay local to support suicide prevention programs and survivor support to the greater Goldsboro area to schools, businesses, churches and more.
The walk's goal is $5,000, and $3,650 has been raised thus far.
Online registration at www.afsp.org/goldsboro closes at noon on Friday, Sept. 29.
However, anyone who wants to walk can register in person at the walk up until the time the walk starts. As of Wednesday, 127 people had registered.
Donations will be accepted until Sunday, Dec. 31.
At 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, "A Life Worth Living," a Live Well Community Education event, will be held at Wayne Community College.
This event will feature two guest speakers.
Organizers Shara Haddenham and Jenna Rogers, who also have been affected by suicide, have taken on the event in an effort to make it bigger and better, DeAngela Sword said.
"I was just interested in suicide prevention," said Sword, who is handling publicity for the walk. "I am interested in being aware about suicide and the prevention of it."
The purpose and objective is simply to create a time and place where everyone who has been affected by suicide or mental illness can come together for one cause, one purpose, share their stories and walk together, she said.
One concern, she said, is that someone in a person's family could be taking medication that could contribute to suicidal thoughts.
"I just believe the education piece and the awareness is how you could potentially prevent suicide from happening," she said.
Sword said that when the call went out for volunteers she wanted to help.
"When you have a heart for certain things you want to put your heart and effort into things," she said. "Just getting the word out around Goldsboro, that has been my main portion with the walk."
The walk is through the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention whose goal is to reduce the suicide rate by 20 percent by 2025.
Last year more than 4,600 North Carolinians walked in 18 Out of the Darkness events across the state raising nearly $314,000.
Mt. Olive Pickle Co. and Accucopy have sponsored the walk since the first one.
New sponsors this year are Wayne UNC Health Care, Shiloh Farm Ministry, Texas Roadhouse, Awards Gallery and Taqueria Zapopan.
The statewide sponsor is Cardinal Innovative Health.
For more information, call 812-568-0386 or send email to goldsboroootd@gmail.com.