UofL supports suicide prevention through campus walk

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — More than 300 people are expected to participate in the annual Out of the Darkness Campus Walk hosted by UofL’s Cards SPEAK program.

This fundraising walk supports the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s education and advocacy programs and its goal to reduce the annual suicide rate by 20 percent by 2025. The walk begins at 4 p.m. April 8 outside the Bingham Humanities Building.

The walk is organized by Cards SPEAK (Suicide Prevention, Education, Awareness, and Knowledge), a campus suicide prevention program that provides training and awareness campaigns to students, faculty and staff, offers information and resources, reduces stigma and promotes a community to assist students in crisis.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people aged 15-24.

“This walk is about turning hope into action,” said Tracie Meyer, Cards SPEAK coordinator. “Suicide is a serious problem, but it’s a problem we can solve. Research has shown how to fight suicide and if we keep up the fight, the science is only going to get better and we’ll be able to save more people from dying from depression and other mental health conditions.”  

The walk is one of more than 150 Out of the Darkness Campus Walks that will be held nationwide this year. The walks are expected to draw more than 25,000 participants and raise over a million dollars for suicide prevention.

Last year, UofL’s Campus Walk raised more than $11,800 and had 304 participants.
Local sponsors for the UofL Out of the Darkness Campus Walk include Eltoro.com, Humana, SMW Photography, The Pete Foundation, Commonwealth Credit Union at UofL, Robert B. Nolan Jr., M.D., PLLC, Heine Brothers Coffee and The Brook Hospitals.

For more information about the walk, contact Tracie Meyer.

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