“Where there is cake, there is hope. And there is always cake.”
Depressed Cake Shop is coming to the North Country Out of the Darkness Walk, October 1, in Lake Placid!
Stay tuned for details!
#depressedcakeshop
#outofthedarkness
#stopsuicide
“Where there is cake, there is hope. And there is always cake.”
Depressed Cake Shop is coming to the North Country Out of the Darkness Walk, October 1, in Lake Placid!
Stay tuned for details!
#depressedcakeshop
#outofthedarkness
#stopsuicide
This beautiful quilt is being made by two local quilters from Port Kent, and donated to the North Country Out of the Darkness Walk. With over 60 combined years of experience, their creative pattern design is meant to symbolize the dark colors transforming into lighter ones in the spirit of the “Out of the Darkness” theme. We appreciate their generous donation and will contribute all funds raised from the raffle towards the Walk.
quilt in progress
“Adirondack Hope”
Full Size/Wall Hanging, 77 x 92
Disappearing Pattern Style
Drawing will be held Sunday, October 1, 2017 at the North Country Out of the Darkness Walk to Fight Suicide in Lake Placid. Winner does not need to be present to win.
Tickets are $2 each or 3 for $5 when purchase in person.
Tickets can be purchased from Out of the Darkness Walk Committee Members or at Out of the Darkness Fundraising events.
Tickets can also be purchased online at https://mhainessex.wufoo.com/forms/out-of-the-darkness-quilt-raffle/. $10 or 6 ticket minimum purchase online.
The North Country Out of the Darkness Walk Grand Prize Getaway for Two includes:
* A Two Night Stay including Breakfast at the Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa
* Round of Golf for Two at Whiteface Club and Resort
* Dinner for Two in Lake Placid
Raffle tickets are $10.00 each and may also be purchased from Out of the Darkness Planning Committee members, or at any Out of the Darkness fundraising event.
Tickets can also be purchased online here:
https://mhainessex.wufoo.com/forms/grand-prize-getaway-for-two-raffle-drawing/
A sample raffle ticket
Overall prize value exceeds $1,200 (no cash value)
For more information about the North Country Out of the Darkness Walk, visit www.afsp.org/northcountry. To sponsor or volunteer for the Walk, contact Shelby at 962-2077 ext. 229 or shelby@mhainessex.org.
Contact
Shelby Davis
(518) 932-1241
shelby@mhainessex.org
North Country Out of the Darkness Walk Scheduled for October 1
Community Walk to Fight Suicide in its 9th Year
Lake Placid, NY – August 10, 2017 – People from throughout the North Country are expected to participate in the 9th Annual North Country Out of the Darkness Community Walk to Fight Suicide at 1:00 pm, Sunday, October 1, 2017 at the Olympic Speed Skating Oval in Lake Placid. This fundraising walk supports the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s local and national programs and its bold goal to reduce the annual rate of suicide 20 percent by 2025.
“Suicide affects one in five American families. I am walking to bring awareness to this leading cause of death and let people in the community know that they are not alone. There is help out there for those who live with a mental health condition and support for those who have lost a loved one to suicide,” said Shelby Davis, 2017 North Country Walk Chairperson and member of the Essex County Suicide Prevention Coalition.
The North Country Walk is part of a national Out of the Darkness walk movement, consisting of Community Walks, Campus Walks and two Overnight walks each year. In 2016, AFSP hosted more than 500 Out of the Darkness Walks spanning all 50 states, uniting more than 240,000 walkers and raising millions for suicide prevention research, education and advocacy.
Proceeds from the walks support programs such as Talk Saves Lives™; an educational presentation on how to recognize the risk factors and warning signs of suicide, and a new film entitled It’s Real: College Students and Mental Health that launched this spring. Through fundraising at the walks and other community and national events, AFSP has been able to fund 552 research grants totaling over $34 million dollars since 1987.
In the past year, the Capital Region Chapter:
“Fifty percent of the funds we raise stay here in the North Country to support programs like these, and the rest goes to research and special projects, like Project 2025. As a survivor of suicide loss, it’s important to me our fundraising dollars stay local; our communities need this support. If you know of any suicide prevention needs in your community, please know the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Essex County Suicide Prevention Coalition is ready and willing to bring programs and services to you at no cost,” said Shelby Davis.
“These walks are about turning hope into action,” said AFSP CEO Robert Gebbia. “Suicide is a serious problem, but it’s a problem we can solve. The research has shown us how to fight suicide, and if we keep up the fight the science is only going to get better, our culture will get smarter about mental health, and we’ll be able to save more people from dying from depression and other mental health conditions.”
Walkers can register at www.afsp.org/northcountry until 12:00 noon on Friday, September 29, 2017, however anyone who would like to participate can register in person at the walk from the time check-in begins until the walk starts. Registration begins at 11:30 am on October 1, Opening Ceremony is at 1:00 pm, and the Walk begins at 1:30 pm and includes a walk around the Oval and Mirror Lake, with the Closing Ceremony at approximately 3:00 pm.
The Walk also includes family friendly activities like face painting, a clown, music, Adirondack Bagpipers, basket raffles, silent auction, light refreshments, dove balloon release, team photos, memory board, Lifekeeper Memory Quilts, community resource tables and more.
The Walk is seeking sponsors, donations for basket raffles and silent auctions, and volunteers to assist the day of the event. For information about corporate sponsorships or volunteering, call Shelby at 962-2077 ext. 229 or email Shelby@mhainessex.org.
Local AFSP sponsors for the North Country Out of the Darkness Community Walk include the Essex County Suicide Prevention Coalition, Citizen Advocates, Adirondack Health, Northern Insuring Agency, Inc., The Wild Center, Whiteface Club & Resort, Mirror Lake Inn, and Ticonderoga Federal Credit Union.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. AFSP creates a culture that’s smart about mental health through education and community programs, develops suicide prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, and with a public policy office in Washington, D.C., AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states with programs and events nationwide. AFSP celebrates 30 years of service to the suicide prevention movement. Learn more about AFSP in its latest Annual Report, and join the conversation on suicide prevention by following AFSP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
It is the mission of the Essex County Suicide Prevention Coalition to work together as a community to increase suicide awareness and prevention. The Coalition envisions Essex County having the necessary information and tools to raise awareness, promote education, and increase action to reduce suicides. Learn more about the Coalition on our website, Facebook and Twitter.
Photo Courtesy of Erin Velsini, Essex County Mental Health
Pictured left to right: James Monty, Lewis Town Supervisor; Jessica Collier, Adirondack Health; Garra Lloyd-Lester, Suicide Prevention Center NY; Deb and Doug Jerdo, Walk Founders; Shelby Davis, 2017 Walk Chairperson; Valerie Ainsworth, Mental Health Association in Essex County, Inc.& Homeward Bound Adirondacks; Krissy Leerkes, Office for the Aging & NY Connects; Michael “Ike” Tyler, Westport Town Supervisor. Not pictured: Stephen Valley, Essex County Mental Health Services; Laura Marx, Area Director, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Elizabethtown, NY (May 26, 2017) –A ribbon cutting ceremony was held May 17, 2017 to mark the official start of the North Country Out of the Darkness Walk to Fight Suicide Campaign. The ribbon was cut by Walk Founders Deb and Doug Jerdo, who lost their son to suicide and became advocates to raise awareness for suicide prevention, hoping to prevent other families from losing a loved one to suicide. Town Supervisors James Monty from Lewis and Michael “Ike” Tyler from Westport joined the ribbon cutting to show their support; stating their concern as former corrections officers and the unusually high rate of suicide within the corrections and law enforcement fields.
Garra Lloyd-Lester, Associate Director of the Suicide Prevention Center office in Albany, relayed his perception about suicide prevention as being “more than stopping people from wanting to die, suicide prevention is about helping people want to live.” Valerie Ainsworth, Executive Director of the Mental Health Association in Essex County, Inc. is also the Executive Director for Homeward Bound Adirondacks, and is hoping to raise awareness to the continued need for improved access to mental health treatment and suicide prevention efforts in the Veteran community. Walk Sponsor Adirondack Health was represented by Communications Coordinator Jessica Collier.
The Out of the Darkness Walk is the main fundraising event for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and is being organized by members of the Essex County Suicide Prevention Coalition and members of surrounding communities. The North Country Walk is in its 9th year, and is scheduled for Sunday, October 1, 2017, at the Olympic Speed Skating Oval in Lake Placid. Over the last 8 years, the Walk has raised more than $220,000 to fund research as well as local suicide prevention, education, training and survivor of suicide loss support programs for North Country residents.
The Official Start of the campaign signifies the beginning of concentrated efforts to enlist walkers, both in person and virtual, volunteers for planning and on the day of the walk, sponsors for cash, in-kind donations and prize or basket raffles. To register for the North Country Walk, visit www.afsp.org/northcountry. For more information about corporate sponsorships, in-kind donations, basket raffles or to volunteer, contact Walk Chairperson Shelby Davis at (518) 962-2077 or Shelby@mhainessex.org.
One of the most visually engaging displays at the Out of the Darkness Walk is the Lifekeeper Memory Quilt, and the 2017 Walk will be no exception. The Walk committee has received several inquiries about making a quilt or contributing quilt squares, we’ve gathered some information that might be helpful. Please note, for inclusion in the 2017 Lifekeeper Memory Quilt, there is a deadline of July 31, 2017.
To get started, request a quilt square from AFSP Capital Region Lifekeeper Quilt Organizer Kim Buchanan by calling (518)770-6567 or kimbuchanan531@yahoo.com. She’ll send you a pre-sized piece of fabric for your square; it’s important to use this piece since it’s been measured and cut for uniformity. Once you receive it, you can start sketching out an idea of how you envision your square to look. Many choose to have a photo of their loved one transferred on to the square, you can use fabric markers to add name, date of birth, date of death, etc. You can be creative, add appliques, favorite symbols, pictures, animals, any information you wish to add is up to you. Once completed, the square is mailed back to Kim, no later than July 31, 2017 if you wish it to be included in this year’s quilt.
You can also create a Digital Quilt Square on the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention website here.
For more information about the Walk, to register a team, be a virtual walker or become a sponsor, visit the North Country Out of the Darkness Walk Page here.
Join us for the North Country Out of the Darkness Community Walk on October 1, 2017 at the Olympic Speed Skating Oval in Lake Placid. Registration/Check in begins at 11:30 am, the Walk begins at 1:00 pm. Proceeds benefit local and national suicide prevention and awareness programs of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, including advocacy for public policy, suicide prevention education, and support programs for survivors of suicide loss. Register to walk, be a virtual walker, make a donation, volunteer or become a sponsor at www.afsp.org/northcountry. Contact Shelby at 518-962-2077 or Shelby@mhainessex.org for more information.
Come join the Mental Health Association in Essex County, Inc. and the Essex County Suicide Prevention Coalition in a fun-filled Creative Bloc Paint & Sip event to benefit the 2017 North Country Out of the Darkness Walk. The cost is $40 and includes all painting supplies, 2 beverages (from a selections of wines or non-alcoholic beverages) and hors d’oeuvres. Must be pre-paid. Pay by April 8 for a $5 discount. Come have fun while supporting a great cause! Call 518-572-2666 to RSVP, credit cards accepted. Or pay via Paypal to creativebloc@yahoo.com.