Sep 19, 2024

A team organized by the Department of Nursing at St. Bonaventure University raised $740 in the Cattaraugus County Out of the Darkness Community Walk, held Sept. 13 in Olean, to raise awareness of suicide prevention and funding in support of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).

The 19-member team, Adam’s Army, walked in memory of a student who died by suicide. They contributed more than 30 percent of the total funding raised in the Cattaraugus County walk.

The AFSP has grown from a grassroots network of researchers and volunteers into a national movement with chapters in all 50 states. Community walks are held in hundreds of communities across the country as part of the Out of the Darkness suicide education and prevention movement that began in 2004.

“We walk each year in memory of Adam and in support of his parents, who will always be part of our Nursing Department,” said Dr. Connie Perkins, founding director of Nursing at St. Bonaventure. “We want to share the message that suicide can be prevented, and that no one is alone.”