By Patrick Cowles
Daily Titan Asst. News Editor
Daily Titan Ass.t News Editor Meghan Alfano also contributed to this article.

The American Foundation of Suicide Prevention has scheduled 190 walks for Fall 2009. Photo by Shruti Patel/Daily Titan Photo Editor

Around 350 people walked for awareness and prevention of suicide at Bill Barber Community Park Oct. 10, in Irvine, Calif.

Among them, Cal State Fullerton political science major Elise Larkin, 21, walked in honor of her late boyfriend Adam Ransom, 27. Ransom ended his life in August.

The American Foundation of Suicide Prevention has been hosting “Out of the Darkness Community Walk” events since 2004. The AFSP has raised $12 million in funds through participants and sponsors for suicide, which claims one life every 16 minutes, stated the AFSP Web site.

“It went really well; it was unfortunate that I had to be a part of something like that,” said Larkin. “But doing it in honor of him (Adam) was a beautiful thing and a wonderful experience.”

25 teams participated in the walk held from 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. The Sigma Kappa sorority joined them in support of Larkin, a Sigma Kappa sister. Larkin got 66 participants to join her team, and 55 sorority sisters came out to support her.

“I was really impressed how it turned out,” said Tara Hussey, 19, a Sigma Kappa sister and pre-nursing major. “I felt that there was a good amount of people there.”

The walks work on many levels.

Within the walks, people dealing with the effects of suicide can come together and find support from their community. AFSP’s Web site stated many participants walk in remembrance of a single lost loved one, much like Larkin.

However, participants also raise funds that are donated toward suicide prevention, giving the local events a national impact.

Through promoting scientific research, the AFSP hopes to improve human understanding of suicide, mood disorders and ways of prevention.

With the walks, AFSP has given people the ability to help themselves and others cope with suicide while actively participating in educating others about suicide and its effects.

Kathy Yu, 21, a political science and public relations major at CSUF, brought the AFSP walk to the attention of her sorority sister Larkin. Yu had participated for AFSP before with the Los Angeles chapter at a walk in Santa Monica.

With just two weeks until the event, Larkin did some research of her own on AFSP and decided to sign up a team. Her 66 participants raised a total of $620.

When Yu finally saw Larkin on Saturday, Larkin began to cry. “She was really grateful we all showed up to support her,” said Yu.

Yu along with the entire Ransom and Larkin families walked in honor of Adam and in support of Elise.

Supporters hold signs in memory of Adam Random, Elise Larkin's late boyfriend. Photo by Shruti Patel/Daily Titan Photo Editor

The AFSP has scheduled over 190 community walks for 2009 throughout 47 states. They expect to draw a crowd of over 50,000 and hope to raise $4.2 million in funds this year.

Funds generated by the walks go to support suicide prevention research, programs for survivors of suicide loss, advocacy and educational programs for professionals.

Other attendees at Saturday’s walk included mayor of Irvine Sukhee Kang and Mike Gonzales, who spoke about H.R. 853, a state bill that would prohibit individuals over the Internet from influencing those with suicidal thoughts to kill themselves. Gonzales’ daughter, Suzanne, swallowed potassium cyanide on March 22, 2003, at the age 19, after consulting with an online messaging group that led her to suicide.