Registration open, sponsorships sought for ‘Out of the Darkness’ suicide awareness walk
Volunteers, donations also sought for April 20 event held in memory of beloved Holly High School student
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, March 21, 2024
CONTACT: Christopher Behnan, Byrum & Fisk Advocacy Communications, (248) 767-4377
Registration open, sponsorships sought for ‘Out of the Darkness’ suicide awareness walk
Volunteers, donations also sought for April 20 event held in memory of beloved Holly High School student
HOLLY, Mich. — Registration is now open for the Holly High School Out of the Darkness Walk, set for Saturday, April 20. The suicide awareness event is being led by Holly High School students, including friends of Deegan Walton, a high school senior who tragically took his own life last fall. Event volunteers, sponsorships and donations are also being sought for the event.
“I am so proud of our Broncho students and staff for organizing this event to shine a spotlight on the critical need to support mental health resources and raise suicide awareness across our community,” said Scott Roper, Holly Area Schools superintendent. “I’d like to commend our students for their dedication to Deegan’s memory and suicide prevention, and I encourage everyone to join us at the walk on April 20.”
Holly High School students have been working with building and district leaders to support suicide awareness including a new partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to host the walk. People can register, sign up to volunteer or make a donation for the walk online by following this link. Individuals, businesses and organizations can learn about event sponsorship opportunities by following this link.
Student and district leaders have put their hearts into organizing this event, and ask our community to join and walk with us. Please show your support and register, volunteer, sponsor and partner with us today to help stop suicide.
The Out of the Darkness walk is one of many efforts Holly Area Schools has made to address mental health and suicide prevention over the past several months.
In December, the district hosted motivational speaker Jared Scott to share his story of losing a close friend to suicide. His program addressed purpose-finding, leadership growth, respect, self-worth and emotional intelligence. Following his presentation, Scott worked with students to help them create a movement to lift up and support all Broncho students.
Since then, student groups have met regularly to work on their goals, including promoting suicide awareness to acknowledge the importance of prioritizing mental health and seeking resources for help because “It’s OK not to be OK.”
“Together, we can bring these issues Out of the Darkness and create a culture that’s smart about mental health,” Roper said. “I encourage our entire Broncho community to learn more about this communitywide call to action for suicide prevention today.”
The district maintains a website with mental health resources that can be accessed by following this link.
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Learn more about Holly Area Schools by visiting www.hask12.org, or visit us on Facebook and Twitter.
Out of the Darkness Press Release 2024