The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is bringing its Out of Darkness Walk back to Palm Desert Civic Center, with check-in starting at 9 a.m. and the walk itself beginning at 10 a.m. Organizers describe it as one of the largest suicide prevention events in the Coachella Valley. September is designated National Suicide Prevention Month.
According to KESQ, the event aims to remind people that they are not alone. The gathering follows the same format used for the Coachella Valley Community Walk held at Palm Desert Civic Center Park in October 2025, when, per the Suicide Prevention Coalition, check-in similarly began at 9 a.m. with the event starting an hour later. That prior walk also carried no cost to attend and no fundraising minimum, with donations treated as optional.
Out of Darkness Community Walks exist to support the foundation's broader mission, which the coalition describes as working to prevent suicide and bring hope and healing to people affected by it. The Riverside County Suicide Prevention Coalition, the local group behind past walk listings, was established in 2020 by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors in partnership with multiple agencies and organizations, according to the same coalition page.
A County Still Grappling With Loss
The walk arrives against a sobering backdrop. Riverside University Health System reported that there were 266 confirmed suicide deaths in 2024 across the county, a figure shared in connection with the county's annual Suicide Prevention Coalition conference. A daylong conference held Oct. 2, 2025, at the Palm Springs Convention Center was free and open to the public, the health system noted.
Riverside University Health System data also shows why health officials treat suicide as such an urgent priority even when it does not top overall death-count rankings. A county health brief notes that suicide and traffic accidents can be leading contributors to years of potential life lost precisely because the people who die from them tend to be younger.
Younger Residents Disproportionately Affected
The Palm Desert walk is a community event focused on suicide prevention.
Earlier county outreach has framed these walks as a collaborative effort. A 2025 invitation noted that Riverside University Health System's behavioral health division, the Riverside County Suicide Prevention Coalition and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention jointly asked residents to join the Out of Darkness Community Walk, though that particular announcement did not detail attendance or fundraising outcomes. The event invites residents to remember those lost to suicide and show support.
