On Sept. 30, SCI Dallas its second annual Out of the Darkness Walk to support suicide prevention. Inmates walked or ran as many laps around the yard as they chose. Upon completion of the walk, they were provided a candy bar and a certificate of participation.
This year’s event also incorporated the opportunity for every inmate within the facility to purchase a ribbon for $1, showing their support for suicide prevention. The ribbons purchased were personalized to include their name and a message, if desired, and the person/person(s) name(s) they were memorializing. Upon completion of the walk, the ribbons were displayed inside the inmate gymnasium for all to view.
A total of 889 laps at 50 cents per lap was donated by three inmate organizations at SCI Dallas — including the SCI Dallas Jaycees, the SCI Dallas Lifers, and the SCI Dallas Latin Organization — for a total of $445.
Money was also raised through the 180 ribbons sold, with many donating beyond the $1 to purchase a ribbon. By the end of the event, $906 was raised to donate to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
The donation was presented on Oct. 27 to the local chapter of the organization, which is the leading national not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy, and to reaching out to people with mental disorders and those impacted by suicide.
One participant said, “As I walked each lap, I felt a sense of accomplishment. I am helping someone I may never meet but may be saving their life. Every life is precious, we are only given one. We should be proud; we all did something good today.”