On October 29th, the city of Hoboken will be hosting its first-ever Out of the Darkness event — a fundraising walk initiated by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Suicide is a national health problem plaguing the United States and in New Jersey, it is the third leading cause of death for ages 10-34. The Out of the Darkness Walks are designed to unite communities, as well as those affected by suicide or mental health issues.
The Hoboken walk hopes to raise $15,000 in which a portion of the earnings will go toward local training and programs. Hoboken resident Elizabeth Roithmayr will be spearheading the event and serves as the New Jersey Area Director with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. “It’s a special one for me. We’re super excited to bring this walk to Hoboken and be able to educate a new community about suicide awareness and prevention and the things we can do to help provide them with that education.”
The Out of the Darkness Walk will take place rain or shine at Palmer Lawn on the campus of Stevens Institute of Technology. Registration is from 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. followed by an opening ceremony. Online registration is set to close at 12 p.m. the Friday before the walk (October 27th).
There is no fee to walk however donations are encouraged. In addition, if participants are able to reach a fundraising goal of $150 or more, they’ll receive an official Out of the Darkness Walk T-shirt.
“For something along this topic—a topic people don’t really want to talk about—it’s about bringing together people that have been affected by suicide and letting them know that there are other people out there who have gone through what they’ve gone through,” Roithmayr explained. “It gives them a network of support and that’s so important when you’re dealing with people who have lost someone to suicide, themselves have attempted and survived or suffer from any of these mental health issues.”
To donate and register for the upcoming Hoboken Out of the Darkness Walk, please visit their website.
Abby is The Digest's Managing Editor. She spends her time looking at dogs on Instagram and eating her way around Jersey City.
