More than 90 incarcerated individuals participated in SCI Dallas’ third annual Out of the Darkness Walk on Oct. 27 to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Participants included men from Dallas’ Therapeutic Communities and Recovery Unit, certified peer specialists, and peer assistants. They each volunteered to walk or run laps during yard time.
Upon completion of the walk, they were provided a candy bar and certificates of participation. Inmate organizations were also presented with certificates of appreciation.
The event also incorporated an opportunity for every inmate within the entire facility to purchase a ribbon for a minimum of $1.00 to show their support for suicide prevention. The ribbons were personalized to include their name, a message if desired, and the person/person(s) name(s) they were memorializing. Upon the completion of the Out of the Darkness Walk the ribbons were displayed inside the inmate gymnasium for all to view.
A total of 1,096 laps at $0.50 cents per lap were donated by 3 inmate organizations: The SCI Dallas Jaycees, The SCI Dallas Lifers, and the SCI Dallas Latin Organization. Their donation totaled $1,000.
Throughout the facility, a total of 128 ribbons were purchased, which raised $138. The combination of these donations and the SCI Dallas Inmate Organizations’ generous donations yielded a grand total of $1,138.00!
The monetary donation was presented on Nov. 9 to the local chapter of the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention. The organization is the leading national non-profit organization exclusively dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy, and to reaching out to people impacted by suicide.
One participant said, “As I ran, I pushed harder than other days; even when I felt like stopping, I knew I was running for a cause, and it made me want to push harder. I knew I was doing something very important — saving a life.”
This year’s Out of the Darkness Walk event was another great success. The hope is it will gain more attention and support in the coming years. Thank you to all who contributed, participated and supported this great cause.
Holding the check from left: Pam McDonald, drug and alcohol treatment specialist supervisor; Anna Elkin-Wren from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention; Lora Troy
In the back from left: Leo Sahonick, activities; Wayne Innis, CCPM; Jeffery Locey, activities; Tom Pavalonis, activities; Jacquline Rawlings, drug and alcohol treatment specialist; and Liz Scott, drug and alcohol treatment specialist