September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and as a part of raising awareness, the annual Out of the Darkness Walk will be held Sept. 19, beginning at 9 a.m. on the front lawn of Macomb's City Hall.
Coordinated by Macomb resident Susan Vick Denecke, the 11th annual Macomb/ McDonough County event brings together individuals who have lost friends and loved ones to suicide, and those who want to help raise awareness for suicide prevention. Denecke's son, Adam, died by suicide at the age of 27 on Feb. 2, 2016. She formed the first Macomb Out of the Darkness Walk in Fall 2016 to honor Adam's memory and help others, with the first walk being held at Lakeview Nature Center. Each year, Adam's friends and family gather together, along with 100+ others, who have been impacted by suicide, to remember their friends and loved ones. The Litchfield family, who lost their husband and father, Randy, to suicide in February 2016, lead the walk each year.
'The Out of the Darkness Walk is a wonderful time to get together with friends and family, remember those we've lost to suicide and bring hope to anyone struggling with their own mental health,' Denecke shared.
'It also serves to break the stigma around mental health conditions, suicide ideation, and losing someone to suicide, which will impact most of us at some point in our lives.'
Following the brief presentations by speakers (TBA), the Walk takes place as a short stroll around Macomb's Downtown Square. While there is no cost to take part in the Out of the Darkness Walk, participants raising $150 for AFSP will receive the 2026 t-shirt. This year's sponsors include Capital Power, the Brendon and Sawyer Memorial Golf Outing, Therapeutic Solutions of Macomb, McDonough District Hospital Behavioral Health Services, North Central Behavioral Health Services, Tri-States Public Radio, Community News Brief, City of Macomb and Macomb Park District.
Registration, though not required, can be done online at afsp.org/macombil or at the event.
