The second annual Out of the Darkness Campus Walk to Fight Suicide will take place on Saturday, March 19, at noon. Registration will begin at 11 a.m. in Spadoni Park at Coastal Carolina University. The walk is sponsored by CCU's Counseling Services and the Counseling Outreach Advocacy Student Team (COAST) and is open to the public.

The Out of the Darkness Campus Walk is a fundraiser designed by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to engage youth and young adults to prevent suicide, the second leading cause of death among people ages 18-24. The goal of the ASFP is to reduce the annual suicide rate 20 percent by 2025.

The Out of the Darkness Walk works to start the conversation about suicide and depression, engage the walkers on these important topics, inform them of the resources available at CCU, help heal and uplift those who have lost loved ones or have personally suffered from depression or suicidal thoughts and attempts, and to create a safe environment and campus.

All funds raised will go to the AFSP, which raises awareness, funds scientific research and provides resources to those affected by suicide. According to the AFSP website, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, with 42,773 suicides per year.

Anyone wishing to register can do so at the walk on March 19 or online at afsp.donordrive.com. It is free to register, but donations are encouraged.

Spadoni Park is located in Spadoni Park Circle on the Conway campus. For more information, contact Chris Donevant-Haines, assistant director of counseling services, at 843-349-5022 or cdhaines@coastal.edu.