The Santa Barbara County Department of Behavioral Wellness, a sponsor for the 2023 American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Out of the Darkness Walk, invites the community to join this year’s walk, Oct. 14 at Goleta Beach Park.

The local walk offers an opportunity for people impacted by suicide to come together and support one another, as well as raise awareness for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Check-in opens at 9 a.m., the walk starts at 10 a.m. There is no fee to register to walk.

In 2020, 54% of Americans were affected by suicide in some way. More than five times as many people died by suicide in 2019 than in alcohol related-motor vehicle accidents.

The Center for Disease Control has published provisional data for 2022, showing a record high of 49,369 deaths by suicide, following a decline in 2019 and 2020.

In California, suicide is the third leading cause of death for ages 10-24 in and second leading cause of death for ages 24-34.

“We hope many will join us in this important community building event,” said Toni Navarro, director for the Department of Behavioral Wellness.

“This walk gives people the space and the opportunity to open up about their own connection to suicide, and come together in a network of support and advocacy for conversations about mental health, hope and resiliency,” Navarro said.

Community members are invited to join Team Behavioral Wellness or register to walk independently. To join Team Behavioral Wellness, click here. For general registration, click here.

Since the first American Foundation for Suicide Prevention walk in 2004, Out of the Darkness walks have provided a platform to create awareness about mental health issues. For more about the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, visit https://afsp.org.

If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide, call or text 988 for the Suicide Crisis Lifeline. Or, call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 800-273-8255, text TALK to 741741, or go to https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/.

Learn more about the Department of Behavioral Wellness at https://www.countyofsb.org/274/Behavioral-Wellness.

For assistance accessing Behavioral Wellness services, call the 24/7 toll free Crisis Response and Services Access Line, 888-868-1649.