SUNY Adirondack hosts Out of the Darkness walk

QUEENSBURY, New York (April 20, 2026) — SUNY Adirondack is proud to join the national American Foundation of Suicide Prevention's Out of the Darkness campus walk to raise awareness about suicide at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 25.

This is the college's sixth year participating in this American Foundation of Suicide Prevention (AFSP) event, a national effort to draw attention to the fight for suicide prevention.

Patti Jo Tennyson, survivor and SUNY Adirondack staff member, and Holly Irion, SUNY Adirondack counselor and associate professor of Counseling, co-chair the event.

Tennyson, an advocate of AFSP in her personal journey of healing, said events like the campus walk allow the community to come together, support one another and help break the silence to end the stigma surrounding suicide.

Suicide is the 11th-leading cause of death in the U.S., according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2022, nearly 50,000 Americans died by suicide in an estimated 1.6 million suicide attempts.

Out of the Darkness supports the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s education and support programs. According to AFSP, the walk is one of more than 550 Out of the Darkness events being held nationwide this year. The walks are expected to unite more than 300,000 walkers and raise millions for suicide prevention efforts.

About AFSP

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. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, and with a public policy office in Washington, D.C., AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states with programs and events nationwide. Learn more about AFSP in its latest Annual Report, and join the conversation on suicide prevention by following AFSP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.