GENESEO, N.Y., Apr. 12, 2023 – On Saturday, April 15, Livingston County and the Genesee Valley Health Partnership will team up with SUNY Geneseo and Sisters Making a Change for the annual Out of the Darkness Campus Walk. The event, which is aimed at engaging with youth and young adults in the fight to prevent suicide, has become a signature student fundraising event for the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention.
The walk is scheduled to take place at College Green on the campus of SUNY Geneseo. On-site registration will begin at 11 a.m. with the walk commencing at 12 p.m. Participants from throughout the Greater Rochester area will join with nearly a quarter of a million people who are walking in towns across the United States to draw attention to suicide prevention.
“The Livingston County Suicide Prevention Task Force is proud to support SUNY Geneseo’s Sisters Making a Change as they sponsor and host the annual American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Out of the Darkness Walk,” said Lynne Mignemi, chairperson of the Livingston County Suicide Prevention Task Force. “The Village of Geneseo and the Livingston County community have embraced this event in recent years in a manner that makes this a genuine and heartfelt community and college collaboration.”
According to the latest study produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the United States with nearly 46,000 people having taken their own life in 2020. Additionally, the study estimated that there were 1.2 million suicide attempts that same year.
Locally, the Genesee Valley Health Partnership, in conjunction with the County, has established numerous resources and services, including mobile crisis coverage, to help aid in the prevention and reduction of suicide. Through its Suicide Prevention Task Force, the County has partnered with local agencies including Noyes Mental Health and Wellness Services, CASA Mental Health Services and the Livingston County Department of Health. Additionally, there are national services including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline where those in crisis can have access to professional counselors and other important mental health resources.
Are you in crisis or know of someone who is? Speak to someone today who may be able to help, by calling or texting 988 or visiting 988lifeline.org.
For more information about the Out of the Darkness Walk in Geneseo, please visit the Western New York Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s website.
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About Livingston County:
Founded in 1821, Livingston County, N.Y., is comprised of more than 61,000 residents in 17 towns located across 631 square miles of the Finger Lakes region.