LAKE PLACID — Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death nationally, with close to 47,000 Americans taking their lives each year, according to the Center for Disease and Control Pervention. National Suicide Prevention Week has been recognized since 1975, with events focused on awareness and prevention taking place this year during the week of Sept. 8-14. And now, on Sunday, Sept. 29, the North Country Walk to Fight Suicide — the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Capital Region’s “Out of the Darkness Community Walk” — will take place in Lake Placid to raise money and awareness for mental health and suicide prevention.

“Suicide is not only one of the leading causes of death in the United States, but has affected me personally,” said Shelby Davis, North Country Walk Chairperson and AFSP Board Member. “That is why I am participating in this local community walk — to bring the subject of mental health and suicide out from the darkness and into the public’s consciousness.”

The Community Walk will take place at the Olympic Speed Skating Oval at 1 p.m, and the planned route around Mirror Lake will be approximately 3 miles long. Funds raised at the event will go to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the largest private funder of suicide research, and will be used to fund both innovative research and advocacy initiatives. This year, AFSP funded $6.2 million dollars of research related to suicide prevention. Throughout the month, there will be messages related to NSPW using the hashtag #RealConvo.

Speakers at the North Country Out of the Darkness Walk will include suicide loss survivors, sharing their personal experiences of healing and hope. Local public officials are also expected to speak in honor of AFSP’s ongoing suicide prevention efforts. The family-friendly event also welcomes back the Depressed Cake Shop for the third year. The Depressed Cake Shop is a pop-up bake sale featuring baked goods that are grey on the outside and brightly colored on the inside, signifying the grey cloud that can cover someone experiencing a mental illness. The highly customized baked goods get people talking about mental illness in a fun and unique way. Bakeries and cake shops interested in donating to the Depressed Cake Shop can contact Amy at anq1970@gmail.com.

Other activities include music, memory board, Lifekeeper Memory Quilts, basket raffles, honor beads, light refreshments, team photographs, dove balloon release (bio-degradable) and therapy animals. Well-behaved and leashed pets are welcome. Counselors and resource tables will be available for information about local organizations and upcoming events.

To learn more about volunteering with the walk or local suicide prevention efforts, contact Shelby Davis at shelbydavis06@gmail.com or 518-932-1241.

“We always welcome volunteers of any ability, whether you are able to help out for an hour, an afternoon, or longer,” said Davis. “As someone who works locally with suicide prevention and intervention efforts, every little bit helps. And as a survivor of suicide loss, it makes a difference to know our efforts are benefiting our communities in the North Country.”

“Gift certificates, baskets and services are being sought for basket raffles, in-kind donations of fruit, water, juice, and granola bars are being accepted for walkers; media partnerships and corporate sponsors are always welcome. Each level of sponsorship comes with a variety of benefits and custom sponsor packages are available as well,” Davis also said.

For more information about the walk, visit www.afsp.org/northcountry.

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. Headquartered in New York with a public policy office in Washington, D.C., AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states with programs and events nationwide.