Out of the Darkness Campus Walk: Ohio State community comes together for suicide prevention
OSUSPP is excited to announce the April 9th, 2022 Campus Walk in-person, as well as virtually from 10am-12pm.
Please read some important updates below:
CHANGE IN LOCATION DUE TO WEATHER PREDICTION:
Due to the possible rainy weather forecast for Saturday morning we’ve made the decision to move the team captain check in, our kickoff, and all activities and organization tables indoors to the lower level of the Recreation & Physical Activity Center (RPAC). RPAC is the building right at Larkins Plaza and next door to the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion, so parking or your walk to the start of the event won’t change. However, the actual 1-mile walk will still take place outdoors along our planned route as described below. Please dress accordingly!
IN PERSON WALKERS:
- Team captain check in opens at 9:00am in the lower level of RPAC. Only Team Captains should check in to pick up team materials. There is no individual walker check-in.
- Walkers can arrive to the lower level of RPAC any time after 9am.
- Opening remarks and the kickoff will start promptly in RPAC at 10:00am.
- The walk route will begin on Larkins Plaza, go out to and around the Oval, and then back to the Plaza. It is approximately one mile. Activities and refreshments will follow inside RPAC. Strollers are welcome!
- If you pre-registered to become a certified REACH suicide prevention gatekeeper, the training will begin at 11:30am in RPAC in Meeting Room #1 (instructions will be given Saturday morning).
- Free on-campus parking will be available in Neil Avenue Parking Garage (1801 Neil Ave Columbus, OH 43210) which is a very short walk to RPAC. To get a validated parking pass please stop by the Registration Table on Larkins Plaza.
VIRTUAL WALKERS
- Team captain packet pick-up: Friday, April 9th at OSUSPP “headquarters” in PAES Bldg. Room 420. There are bags in a box outside the door. Each captain should take one bag. This is a thank you to our team captains….there will be other swag available at the walk for their team members.
- Opening remarks and the kickoff will start promptly in RPAC at 10:00am.
- We are streaming the event through Facebook Live *here and here*.
The Out of the Darkness Campus Walks are the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s (AFSP) signature student fundraising series, designed to engage youth and young adults in the fight to prevent suicide, the second leading cause of death among people ages 15-24. As you recall in Spring of 2020, we unfortunately had to make that event virtual due to the pandemic, but even so, raised almost $29,000, came in 4th place in the nation for campus walk fundraising efforts (and won an award from AFSP for doing so!), and beat TTUN’s campus walk!
OSU’s Out of the Darkness Campus Walk is scheduled for April 9th, 2022 for 10am-12pm. Any OSU alumni, staff and faculty member, or student, as well as their friends and family members (even pets!), can participate.
Register here: https://supporting.afsp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=8309
Please make sure you are following our social media pages for updates.
- Instagram: osureach
- Twitter: @osureach
- Facebook: OSU Suicide Prevention Program
