Video Above: People participating in the Out of the Darkness Community Walk

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. –In 2011 (the most recent year for which data are available), 39,518 suicide deaths were reported in the United States, making suicide the tenth leading cause of death for Americans. Next month The American Foundation For Suicide Prevention (AFSP) will be hosting the annual Birmingham Out of the Darkness Community Walk to help raise money for AFSP’s research and education programs to prevent suicide and save lives.

The Birmingham Out of the Darkness Community Walks are 3-5 miles long and takes place in over 350 communities across the country. The event is free to attend.

This will be the 10th Out of the Darkness Community Walk in Birmingham and will be hosted at Heardmont Park. 1,600 people participated in the event last year and more than $180,000 were raised. Last years walk was ranked 10th largest in the nation thanks to all the support and participation.

For the past 4 years, the Alabama Chapter has been nationally recognized as the AFSP Chapter of the Year. Alabama was the first state in the country to provide every high school and every college campus in the state with a suicide prevention curriculum. For the past 3 years the Chapter been recognized for its Outstanding Education Program.

Detailed information of the event is as follows:

Walk Date: 11/01/2015
Walk Location: Heardmont Park – 5458 Cahaba Valley Road
Check-in/Registration Time: 11/01/2015 at 1:00 pm
Walk Begins: 2:30 pm
Walk Ends: 4:30 pm

If you would like to register, donate, or join others in raising awareness of suicide prevention please visit the Birmingham Out of the Darkness Community Walk website.

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— John James (@john_james_20) August 19, 2015