Coaches' Perspectives posts are a look at the Out of
the Darkness Overnight community from the perspective of one of our
Walker Coaches. Walker Coaches are Overnight Walk staff members who
personally work with thousands of individuals interested in and already
participating in the Overnight. Every Walker has a Coach as a point of
contact in the office to help them with fundraising, training, and to
offer general support.
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Walker Coach Jason Krumenaker begins
Preview and Training Day 2012
(http://leann-myafspovernightjourney2012.blogspot.com/) |
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I have had the
privilege of being a Walker Coach for the Overnight for the last two seasons.
The 2012 Overnight Walk in San Francisco marked my first opportunity to work
with the Overnight Walk's online social network. It was incredible to see so
many stories from Walkers and Crew members alike - stories about individual
connections to the cause, experiences with the Out of the Darkness Overnight
Walk community, and most importantly, stories about how each and every
participant is raising awareness. Being part of the Overnight's social network
made me all the more excited when September 9
th rolled around this year.
September 9
th-15
th marked the 2012 National Suicide
Prevention Week; an opportunity for supporters and survivors to join together
to do what they can to prevent suicide. As expected, the
Overnight Walk's Facebook page saw a huge increase in visitors sharing their personal
experiences and making others aware that suicide could be prevented. Seeing
those interactions was empowering. Seeing that so many people cared enough to
publicly say they wanted to remove the stigma surrounding suicide was an
amazing sight.
However, as September 15th came and went - something felt
wrong.
