On Saturday, March 30, 2024, I attended the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s (AFSP) Out of the Darkness walk for suicide prevention at Clemson University.

The Out of the Darkness walks are set up to raise money for suicide prevention and mental health education across the United States.

Clemson University has a program called Tigers Together to promote mental health advocacy. The Tigers Together team oversees the Out of the Darkness walk at Clemson and consists of Delana Reynolds, assistant director of suicide prevention and mental health initiatives, Caroline Holland, who led this year’s walk, Sarah King, who will be leading next year’s walk, and many other members who have put in many hours to stand up for those in need.

I had the privilege of volunteering at the Out of the Darkness walk for the second time. Volunteering at this walk is truly a beautiful and cathartic experience.

My mom, Phillip Hyman, and I passed out honor beads.

Each honor bead has a separate meaning:

red stands for the loss of a spouse or partner due to suicide, gold stands for the loss of a parent due to suicide, orange stands for the loss of a sibling due to suicide, purple stands for the loss of a relative or friend due to suicide, silver stands for the loss of a first responder/military personnel, green stands for a personal struggle or suicide attempt, teal stands for supporting someone who struggles with suicidal ideations or has attempted suicide, blue stands for supporting suicide prevention, rainbow stands for honoring the LGBTQ+ community, and white beads stand for loss of a child.

Volunteering at the honor beads stand is an extremely eye-opening experience. We saw people of many backgrounds and different struggles, but we all had the same goal: prevent suicide and support mental health advocation.

As someone who has lost a friend to suicide and has personally struggled with mental health, these walks mean so much to me.

The walk itself lasted about an hour and was two-and-a-half miles long. It was very hot outside, but we all made it.

At the end of the event, there was the closing ceremony. The closing ceremony revealed the amount that Clemson University had raised was 24,577 dollars – which happens to be 4,577 dollars over the goal!

I am strongly looking forward to next year’s walk and plan on revisiting campus every walk!