Despite the forecast for rain, on Saturday, Nov. 2, approximately 115 individuals attended the inaugural Kingfisher County Out of the Darkness Walk at Newfi eld Park which benefits the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

There were 171 individuals registered, 11 teams and a total of $15,100.64 was raised for AFSP through the event, event chairperson Stephanie Guinn said.

Since losing their 15-year-old son, Donnie, to suicide in 2016, Stephanie and Nathan Guinn, their daughter Erin and other family members have been participating in the AFSP Out of the Darkness Walk in Oklahoma City.

With a desire to start an Out of the Darkness Walk fundraising event for Kingfi sher County, Guinn took on the role of chairperson for this year’s inaugural event, with the hope of making it annual occurrence.

The Guinns live in Dover, where Erin is a freshman at Dover High School, Nathan is a school board member and Stephanie is a teacher at Hennessey Public Schools.

AFSP’s mission is to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide, through funding mental health and suicide prevention grants, creating evidence-informed educational programs, supporting survivors of suicide loss and advocating for legislation that is smart about mental health and suicide prevention.

Another important part of the AFSP Out of the Darkness Walks are the honor beads, memory wall and the bubble ceremony during the program portion of the event, Guinn added.

Each color of beads represents a different type of suicide loss, the memory wall is a place where loved ones can recognize their loved one with a message and the bubble ceremony is a way of sending love to those who have passed.

The fundraising goal for the event was $10,000 and the Kingfisher County Out of the Darkness Walk was the only walk in the state to meet or exceed its fundraising goal, Guinn said.

The top fundraising team was the Dover Christian Church, top fundraiser was Robin Green and a significant portion of the goal was met through business sponsorships, Guinn said.

Out of Darkness Walks are the primary fundraiser for AFSP, Guinn added.

“With these donations they are able to provide programs for schools, mental health facilities and other places without charging a fee,” she said. “They also help with the 988 suicide hotline number.”

Guinn expressed her appreciation and thankfulness for everyone who helped in the planning and coordinating of the event as well as all those who contributed and participated.

Additionally, Guinn said she especially wanted to thank her husband, Nathan, and daughter, Erin, for their support throughout the process of organizing and carrying out a successful event to support suicide prevention and awareness.