The Gretna East Hope Squad, along with others, will be joining the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) to host an Out of the Darkness Walk to raise awareness about people in the community affected by suicide. The walk will take place at 11 a.m. this Saturday, April 5, at the Mike and Josie Harper Center on the Creighton campus.
According to the AFSP, “The Community Walks, held in hundreds of cities across the country, are the core of the Out of the Darkness movement, which began in 2004. These events give people the courage to open up about their own connections to the cause and a platform to create a culture that’s smarter about mental health. Friends, family members, neighbors and coworkers walk side-by-side, supporting each other and in memory of those we’ve lost.”
“These walks foster a lot of awareness, simply from the amount of people who choose to walk for those that have gone before or are currently struggling with depression,” counselor Brandon Shostak said. “We would like students to recognize we can all walk and spread community awareness for mental health supports and preventing suicide.”
The Hope Squad formed a team with Gretna High School students called “Hope has Wings,” which has currently raised $375 for the AFSP. The team will be walking and collecting donations to help achieve the AFSP’s goal of reducing the suicide rate. But the event is not just for the members of the Hope Squad; it is open to the community.
“We’ve opened it up to all students, just knowing that we’re going to be there, and you can walk with us, or you can walk independently,” Hope Squad Sponsor Kelly Mcvey said. “We’re just hoping that we can show that in our building, we have support.”
The AFSP is asking for donations, with a goal of raising $10,000. While there is a fundraising goal, donations are not required.
“We didn’t want students to have to donate money or ask for donations,” Mcvey said. “There is no minimum requirement; you can participate and not donate any money, that makes it very open to anybody who wants to participate.”
Check-in will start at 10 a.m., and the walk will begin an hour later. There are currently eight teams and 82 participants from all over the Omaha area.
“It would be very amazing if we can have more community members involved in this event,” Shostak said. “Although we started the team, anyone who wants to support mental health and be a part of a movement to prevent suicide is welcome to join.”
