MTSU raises awareness, hope for suicide prevention

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MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- MTSU students invite you to join them in raising awareness about the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Onsite registration for "Out of the Darkness," a walk to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, will begin at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, at the Student Union courtyard. The walk, which will be hosted by the Department of Social Work, is slated to last from noon to 2 p.m. There is no charge to participate.

Off-campus visitors attending the event should obtain a special one-day permit from MTSU's Office of Parking and Transportation at 1403 E. Main St. or online at http://www.mtsu.edu/parking/visit.php. A searchable campus parking map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap.

The MTSU event is one of more than 550 "Out of the Darkness" overnight, community and campus walks being held nationwide this year. Last year, these events raised more than $21 million for suicide prevention.

AFSP's goal is to reduce the annual U.S. rate of suicide 20 percent by the year 2025. Kat Cloud, Tennessee Area Director for AFSP, said suicide touches 1 in 5 American families. The CDC reported that nearly 45,000 people killed themselves in the U.S. in 2016, the last year for which full statistics are available.

"We hope that by walking we will draw attention to this issue and keep other families from experiencing a suicide loss," Cloud said.

To register online or to make a donation, go to https://afsp.org/mtsu. For more information, contact Dr. Justin Bucchio, an assistant professor of social work, at 615-898-2477 or justin.bucchio@mtsu.edu

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