1. "Out of the Darkness" Campus Walk at STMA

2. What is it? The "Out of the Darkness" Campus Walk is a 5K run/walk. Schools across the country host the walk on their campus to support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention(AFSP).

3. Why is this important? Saint Thomas More is the first school in the state of Delaware to hold this walk. This is a chance for students, teachers, and members of our community to come together and support the AFSP The goal of the AFSP is "to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide."

4. SUICIDE STATISTICS Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US. Each year, 42,773 Americans die by suicide. There are roughly 117 suicides per day. For every completed suicide, 25 people attempt. Men die from suicide roughly 3.5x more often than women. These numbers only account for suicides that have been reported, many go unreported, making the actual numbers higher than this.

5. TEEN SUICIDE From January to March 2012, 11 Delaware teens committed suicide and 116 others attempted suicide. 4 of these teenagers went to Polytech High School. (5 miles away from STMA) Suicide is the 3rd-leading cause of death for people ages 15-24 in both Delaware and the US.

6. What causes suicide? There is no single cause for suicide. The leading suicide risk factors are mental heath disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, psychotic disorders, etc. Other factors include: Substance abuse disorders (misuse of alcohol and/or drugs) Serious health conditions/pain Stressful life events(death, divorce, job loss) Personal/Family history of suicide attempts or suicide

7. STMA's Campus Walk STMA's "Out of the Darkness" Campus Walk for suicide prevention is on April 24th, 2016 (This is a Sunday) The walk will start and finish in the STMA parking lot and go through the Champion's Club neighborhood. Registration begins at 12:30pm and the walk begins at 1:00pm Our goal is to raise at least $500 for the AFSP by the end of this walk. INVITE OTHERS TO PARTICIPATE

8. Registering for the walk You can register online or at STMA on April 24th(the day of the walk) How to register online: Go to: afsp.donordrive.com Go to: Out of the Darkness Campus Walks (Learn More button) Click to register to for your walk Go to Delaware, Saint Thomas More Academy Or just type in this link: http://afsp.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID= 4030 http://afsp.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID= 4030 Click REGISTER NOW or you can just donate at the same link You can register individually or as a group with your family/friends