Out of the Darkness: Mercer students advocate for suicide prevention in campus walk

Editor’s note: McKenna Kaufman is a Mercer University student writing for the Telegraph this spring.

More than 50 Mercer students participated in a campus walk on April 18 to advocate for mental health and suicide prevention as part of the national “Out of the Darkness” movement organized by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Claire Tolvanen, a Mercer junior and the chair of the Mercer AFSP walk committee, initiated plans for the “Out of the Darkness” walk. After participating in AFSP’s walks in Atlanta, Tolvanen decided to organize a similar event at Mercer, she said.

“My main goal today was to bring awareness to Mercer and for us all to be able to confidently say that we made a difference and are working towards a world without suicide,” Tolvanen said.

In the months leading up to the walk, Mercer students partnered with the Georgia chapter of AFSP and Mercer’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) to conduct fundraising and organize the event. Participants fundraised $12,290 for AFSP in the months leading up to the walk, surpassing the board’s original goal of $10,000, Tolvanen said.

The walk organizers provided attendees with different colored necklaces that represented their personal connection to the suicide prevention movement. Some colors commemorated loved ones lost to suicide, while others represented personal struggles and victories. The beads were a way of building community within those who attended, Miracle Cole, a member of the Mercer AFSP walk committee, said.

“I’ve seen people grab different colored beads that I didn’t even know they would have even considered looking at,” Cole said. “It’s a really nice way to connect with people on something deeper.”

Before walking across campus, students listened to personal testimonies from Mercer students, live music and statements from the walk’s organizers. Stuart Winborne, the Area Director for the Georgia chapter of AFSP, was one of the event’s guest speakers.

“We need to let people know that it’s okay to reach out for help and realize that mental health really does affect each and every one of us,” Winborne said.

Many students participated in the walk as a way to support their friends and classmates at Mercer and encourage more widespread conversation about mental health. Sydney Hayes, a Mercer sophomore who attended the walk, participated in the walk to help break the stigma surrounding mental health and suicide prevention.

“I know it’s hard to open up mental health struggles,” Hayes said. “We all go through it, we all have our own personal struggles. It’s better to get help because you may think nobody’s going to miss you, but that’s definitely wrong.”

This story was originally published April 19, 2021 at 8:00 AM.