Out of the Darkness Community Walk in Chattanooga to help prevent suicide

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Chattanooga will host the fourth annual Out of the Darkness Community Walk to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention on Saturday.

The event takes place at the Tennessee Riverpark's Hubert Fry Pavilion at 4301 Amnicola Highway.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is the leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy, and to reaching out to people with mental disorders and those affected by suicide, according to a news release.

In the United States, a person dies by suicide every 15 minutes, or more than 34,000 each year, the foundation said, and it is estimated that an attempt is made every minute, with close to 1 million people attempting suicide annually.

Suicide is the fourth-leading cause of death in the U.S. among adults 18 to 65, the second-leading cause of death among teens and young adults. People 65 and older account for 16 percent of all suicides.

Registration for the walk begins at 9 a.m., and the walk is at 10 a.m. For more information about the walk or to register online, go to www.outofthedarkness.org or contact Holly Baker at hsanders74@comcast.net or 423-635-5116.

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