WALKS

Communities
Coming Together

The Community Walks, held in hundreds of cities across the country, are the core of the Out of the Darkness movement, which began in 2004. Through the Community Walks, we give people across the United States the courage to open up about their own struggle or loss, and a platform to create a culture that’s smarter about mental health. Friends, family members, neighbors and coworkers walk side-by-side, supporting each other and in memory of those we’ve lost.

We’d like to give thanks to our national sponsor, The Allergan Foundation, for its support of the Community Walks this year.

339K
participants

37K
teams

$27M
raised

Hope Walks Here:
Out of the Darkness
Campus Events

Each spring, teens, young adults, faculty and family members participate in our college and university Campus Walks, spreading the message that mental health is just as important as physical health, and that help and support are always available.

This year’s Campus Walks, which typically take place March through June, were transformed into virtual events as the pandemic reached the U.S. Yet despite that – with schools canceling events and kids moving home – creative, energetic students were even more determined to #KeepGoing, turning 140 out of 180 planned Campus Walks into virtual events. The results were remarkable, as students, families, teachers, and administrators showed together that #HopeWalksHere.

15K+
participants

$1.1M+
raised

Our First Virtual
Overnight Experience

$1.7M
raised

The Overnight Walk – set to be our 25th in-person event, with people walking over 16 miles from dusk till dawn in New York City – became a milestone of another sort as participants from around the world sprang into action and took part in our first Virtual Overnight Experience.

The event, which made it easy for people to participate wherever they are, featured social media activations and an activity tracking wellness challenge held throughout the month of June. Participants took daily actions, such as going for a walk around the neighborhood while wearing their Overnight t-shirts (and masks) to shed light on mental health in their own communities.

Using social media to share their #OvernightAction and to connect with each other, participants collectively logged 9,506 activities over 5,400 hours, including unique activities such as building an obstacle course, horseback riding, and making face masks. They walked 24,263 miles, took 50 million steps, and had 85 #RealConvos about mental health. The Overnight Experience culminated in a special online program connecting hundreds of thousands of people over a weekend-long virtual event.

Not only did our dedicated Overnight community #KeepGoing, this new way of raising awareness allowed people to get involved in a welcoming and exciting way, and led to 1,500 more people registering after it was announced The Overnight would go virtual!

We wish to thank our Overnight sponsors Sunovion, Alkermes, Qumu, and Corporate Data & Voice Solutions for making the event possible. We are so proud of our Out of the Darkness community for showing the strength, resilience and determination to make this year a success.

$1.7M+
raised

Team Forever Young

Nancy Cook first became involved in The Overnight in 2010, after losing a dear friend to suicide. In his memory, she put a team together comprised of others affected by suicide in her community, who participated in the Boston Overnight under the name Team Forever Young. Since then, the team has grown, and Nancy has captained and led Team Forever Young through 11 Overnight Walks, seven Community Walks, and now, one Virtual Overnight Experience.

Nancy has become a leader in suicide prevention in her local Massachusetts community, helping to support first responders who are struggling. This year, determined not to let the pandemic stand in her way, she worked with her local police department to have a 10-mile route arranged so Team Forever Young could participate in a safe, physically distant mini-Overnight Walk.

To date, they have raised over half a million dollars – $711,411.43 – for the Overnight Walk and AFSP. Together, they participate in memory of 30 family, friends, and loved ones, and stand with others as a reminder that they are not alone in their loss, their pain, or their struggle.