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Published Online: 27 November 2019

APA Staff Join Thousands on Mall for AFSP’s Out of Darkness Walk

Publication: Psychiatric News
Volume 54, Number 23
https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2019.12a23
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Members of the APA administration raised $11,696 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) through participation in its Out of Darkness Walk last month on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
More than 35 staffers—and their friends, family, partners, and animal companions—participated in the event, and other staff who could not attend made donations. APA’s team ranked fourth in terms of the amount of money it raised.
APA’s team joined thousands of other event attendees on the 2.8-mile walk. The walk started in the front of the Lincoln Monument, wound around the Tidal Basin and the Jefferson Memorial, continued past the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the World War II Memorial, and ended back at the Lincoln Monument. The event raised a total of $336,897.
AFSP sponsors Out of Darkness Walks in communities all over the country throughout the year, raising money for suicide prevention, educating the community about suicide, and bringing together survivors and others touched by suicide. As stated on the AFSP website, the community walks “give people the courage to open up about their own struggle or loss, and the platform to change our culture’s approach to mental health.”
(Past APA President Maria Oquendo, M.D., is a member of the AFSP Board of Directors.)
APA’s participation in the walk was the culmination of several activities at APA headquarters to mark Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.
“Turnout for the walk reflects the commitment of APA staff members to reducing stigma and supporting our community,” said Kaileen Dougherty, who is the federal relations manager for the Division of Government Relations at APA and chair of APA’s health and wellness committee. “We hope the staff’s annual participation in this event helps to bring together those who have been touched by suicide.”
Prior to the walk, APA staff shared stories about the ways in which they have been personally impacted by suicide. Ellen Shannon, AFSP’s National Capitol Area director, visited APA headquarters to discuss the foundation’s work.
“I am proud of our staff for leading by example and proud of APA’s commitment to working with other organizations like AFSP that share our mission,” said APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A. “Thank you to everyone who contributed to this important Out of Darkness Walk.” ■

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Go to Psychiatric News
Psychiatric News
Volume 54 • Number 23 • November 16, 2019 – December 6, 2019

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Published online: 27 November 2019
Published in print: November 16, 2019 – December 6, 2019

Keywords

  1. APA administration
  2. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)
  3. Out of Darkness Walks
  4. Ellen Shannon
  5. Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A.

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