The 2013 Overnight Walk was a Success!

Thank You All for Your Participation in the 2013 Washington, DC Overnight Walk!

The 2013 Overnight Walk was an enormous success and participants from around the country joined us in the nation’s capitol to help show the nation that suicide and mental illness must be brought Out of the Darkness.

With more than 1,700 Walkers at the event and out on the route and 190 Crew Members supporting them along the way, the Overnight participants were a very large and visible crowd in the streets of Washington, DC throughout the night.

2013 Overnight Walkers Make Headlines

Overnight Walkers Share Their Stories in Their Local Communities

All across the country, Overnight Walkers have been spreading the word, getting others involved in the Overnight and AFSP’s local activities, and helping to boost their fundraising campaigns at the same time by reaching out to local media outlets.

Articles in community oriented media sources help connect local residents to the larger cause and give them insight into what their friends and neighbors will be involved with when they journey to the nation’s capital this June. These articles published in their local newspapers and online help get the word out in their community and also help them with their own fundraising efforts in their hometowns.

Nationwide Overnight Press

Areas near Washington, DC have run pieces for Walkers like Thomas Sweet, who shares his personal experiences with suicide and his urge to make a larger difference for those in his community, and Chelsea Jackson, who is working hard to showcase the links between mental illness and suicide and help those suffering seek treatment.

New Jersey residents Kristen East and Marisa Fazio have been showcased in their areas and were able to tell a bit of their personal stories in the hopes that it would reach others and help them seek treatment. A fellow New Jersey resident, Hannah Benoit, shares the feelings of one who has lost a parent and her personal investment in advocacy for suicide prevention and AFSP.

From Christina Duncan’s article in Quincy, MA to Laura Matthiesen’s in Concord, CA, personal stories of the effects of mental illness and suicide are being brought Out of the Darkness to be more openly discussed and to hopefully help others in need.

Many thanks to our Walkers who have shared their personal stories and helped to spread the word about mental illness, the devastating affects of suicide, and most importantly, of hope and the many treatment options and methods of help available to those in need.

Hometown Press Release

Our Walkers most often use the Hometown Press Release, which can be found in the Resources section of your fundraising page to submit their inquiries and articles for publication. These templates are set up so that they can be easily customized to contain some or part of your own personal story as well as bringing to light many of the pertinent reasons the Overnight exists.

If you would like to see your local news outlets run stories about the Overnight Walk and AFSP, take a look at our Hometown Press Releases that will help you contact them and let them know that their community is interested in them reporting about this important issue.

Join Us for the 2013 Overnight Walk Season and Grow Our Movement!

Join the Overnight Community and Learn Everything You Need to Know About This Amazing Event at Our Special Grow Our Movement Event in Washington, DC.

Join the Overnight Staff and the community of Walkers, Crew Members, and local Volunteers as we host our first Special Event of the 2013 Overnight season on April 7^th.

The Overnight Staff will be on site in person to help answer any questions that you have about your participation in the Overnight Walk and we will have special presentations of the Fundraising Workshop and Information Meetings during the program to help you get all the information that you need.

2013 Overnight Grow Our Movement Event

Sunday, April 7, 2013

The Fridge: 516 8^th Street SE

Washington, DC 20003

12:00pm - 2:00pm

 Join us on 4/7/13 at The Fridge and:

• Meet Your Walker Coaches
• Learn About the Day-of-Event Activities
• Get Fundraising and Training Tips
• Meet Other Walkers in Your Area
• Win Raffle Prizes
• Be a Part of the Overnight Community

RSVP to Join the Overnight Community Today and Join us on April 7, 2013.

If you have any questions about the Kick Off Event or about the Overnight Walk in general, please contact us at 888-THE-OVERNIGHT (888-843-6837) or coaches@theovernight.org and we will be glad to help.

Sharing Our Overnight Stories

Participants find Personal Ways to Spread the Word

One of the core elements to the Overnight Walk and all of AFSP’s efforts is to bring awareness about suicide to the public at large. Each year our participants share their own stories in a variety of creative ways and show the world the very personal nature of the cause.

Overnight Walkers and Crew continue to spread the word, welcome new participants to the cause, and further their own fundraising goals at the same time.

Our Stories Are Everywhere