Every Step Counts

 For my reaching for equity project, I chose to do an overnight walk in San Francisco called the Out Of The Darkness Walk for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The AFSB has been at the forefront of a wide range of suicide prevention initiatives, each designed to reduce loss of life from suicide. It was a very easy choice to do this because I have experienced the loss of someone because of suicide.  For this walk, I had to go to a two hour meeting in Sunnyvale to get all the information about it. The walk is about 16 to 18 miles. The reason why it’s an overnight walk because suicide is something no one likes to talk about, and basically everyone is in the dark about it. 

Registration Form and Information Packet 

During the meeting, I met one of the crew members named Ryan Ayers.  He gave me all the information that I needed about this walk. He told us what their organization was about, and he also told us about the fundraising. When he told us about the Fundraising I was a little frightened. He said that we have to raise at least seven hundred dollars for the organization. When I heard this I was definitely shocked, but Ryan made it better when he explained it a little more. He encouraged me that getting the money wasn’t going to be difficult at all. People who have done the walk before were there as well and a girl told me how simple it could be to get the fundraising money.  She said all you have to do is try hard and tell the donators that you are doing it for an important cause. You can’t just broadly ask them for donations, you have to explain what the organization is about and you can add your personal experiences about suicide. When I heard this I was a little relieved about the Fundraising situation. 
At the end of the meeting, the crew members gave us a registration form and a packet about the walk. I’m looking forward to the experience and in the process helping a great cause.