Milwaukee's Veterans Park will host the 18th annual Out of the Darkness Walk on Oct. 10, bringing together people touched by suicide for a noncompetitive walk that raises money for research, advocacy and education. The event is organized through the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, which runs similar walks across the country each fall.
According to TMJ4 News, the Milwaukee walk brings together three groups: people who are struggling themselves, loved ones of people affected by suicide, and people who have lost someone to suicide. Funds raised at the event go directly toward research, advocacy efforts and educational programming, according to the Out of the Darkness Milwaukee Walk event page. The walks themselves are kept low-pressure by design — between one and three miles, and explicitly noncompetitive, per the same event page.
What the Day Includes
The Milwaukee program includes an opening ceremony, activities centered on hope and healing, resource tables and complimentary honor beads, the event page notes. Those honor beads are a common feature at AFSP walks nationally, often worn to signal a participant's personal connection to suicide loss or survival, though the specific meanings assigned to different colors weren't detailed in materials for this event.
Fundraising incentives are tied to the calendar. Participants who individually raise at least $150 by Oct. 10 will receive the official Out of the Darkness Walk shirt at the event, while those who raise more than $250 earn an additional gift six weeks after Walk day, per the organizer's site. Donations for the Milwaukee Walk will continue to be accepted through Dec. 31, giving supporters nearly three more months to contribute even after walkers have gone home.
A State Where the Numbers Keep Rising
The Milwaukee event lands against a backdrop of worsening statewide trends. The Prevent Suicide Wisconsin report analyzed state death records, hospital data and self-reported surveys spanning 2014 through 2023 and reported that suicide rates in Wisconsin rose 15% over the last decade, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The newspaper's review found Indigenous residents had the highest suicide rate among racial groups during that period, at 21.8 deaths per 100,000 people.
The same analysis found men made up a majority of Wisconsin's suicide deaths, with firearms remaining the most common and fatal method used. Rural areas of the state showed disproportionately higher suicide rates than urban regions, the Journal Sentinel reported, and lesbian, gay and bisexual youth were found to be contemplating suicide at rates far higher than the average youth population.
How to Get Involved
People interested in volunteering or joining a planning committee for the Milwaukee walk can reach out to Gena Orlando at [email protected], according to the event page. Those seeking more information on registering or donating can visit afsp.org/milwaukee.
If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text at any hour.
