To promote suicide prevention and awareness, NSU’s chapter of Lambda Theta Alpha will host the seventh annual Out of the Darkness walk at the Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus from 9 a.m. to 11:45 p.m.
Out of the Darkness aims to raise money and spread awareness for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Esmeralda Rivera, senior sociology major, chair of the Out of the Darkness Suicide Prevention Walk and member of Lambda Theta Alpha, said, “Every year, we get the Broward County community together, and we walk for those who we lost to suicide and kind of uplift everyone.”
Rivera said suicide is an issue that a lot of people are affected by but don’t really talk about.
“It’s something people shy away from. We’re trying to portray, with the event, that even though it’s not something that a lot of people like to talk about, it’s something you should have support in,” said Rivera. “If you do lose someone, many people go to this event as their support. The purpose of this walk is so we can involve people who feel alone and who think that they’re going through this on their own, when they’re really not.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control, suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students and graduate students.
Oren Schwartz, post-doctoral resident of the Office of Suicide and Violence Prevention, said, “[Suicide] has to do with stress. As you get further along in your career, and as you get into graduate school, then you might have a couple more responsibilities, you might be juggling a family, filling up that debt a little bit, so the risk factors go up because there’s more stress.”
Rivera said suicide prevention is an issue that is very personal to Lambda Theta Alpha members.
“It’s been our philanthropy for a while now, and some of our sisters have either previously lost someone to suicide or know friends or family members who have, so it’s something that hit home for us,” said Rivera. “Ever since we started, it’s something that continues to grow closer and closer to our hearts because we put so much work into it every year.”
The event will also include tabling that features suicide prevention information and resources, as well as different activities sponsored by student organizations throughout the walk, like jump roping and face painting.
Each participant will be given a set of beads to wear during the walk. Each color represents a different connection to suicide, such as white for a lost sibling, green for a lost child, purple to show support for the cause and more.
“Not everyone is affected by suicide, but a lot of people are, so we have a lot of different colors to represent what those people are there for,” said Rivera. “It’s a bonding experience so everyone can see that they’re not alone.”
The event is free, but donations are welcome. According to Rivera, participants have been setting up teams to raise money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
“For example, this year, we have a woman whose husband, who was a police officer, recently committed suicide, so she got her entire family, her community and her friends to donate, and she’s donated over eight thousand dollars,” said Rivera. “This event will spread the word to people who want to support the cause and spread awareness, and those people are the ones who donate.”
Lambda Theta Alpha raised $158,000 over the past six years, and this year’s goal is $40,000.
The event is open to the public, and all ages are welcome to attend. The walk will start at Fellow’s Way between the Carl DeSantis Building and the Rose and Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center.
Registration is available online at http://afsp.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=3510. Participants can also register in person at the event from 8 to 9 a.m.
For more information about Out of the Darkness, contact Esmeralda Rivera at er653@nova.edu.
For more information about suicide, including a list of resources and warning signs, contact the NSU Office of Suicide and Violence Prevention at 954-262-5789 or svp@nova.edu or visit their website at nova.edu/suicideprevention.
If you are contemplating suicide or if someone you know is exhibiting warning signs, contact Henderson Student Counseling Services at 954-424-6911.
