On Saturday, November 2nd, approximately 115 individuals were not scared off by the forecast of rain and attended the Inaugural Kingfisher County Out of the Darkness Walk to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. There were 171 individuals registered, 11 teams, and $15,100.64 was raised for ASFP. A huge part of the AFSP Out of the Darkness Walks is the honor beads, memory wall, and the bubble ceremony during the program portion of the event. Each beaded necklace stands for a different type of suicide loss. The memory wall is a place where loved ones can recognize their loved ones with a message. The bubble ceremony is a way of sending love to those who have passed.
The fundraising goal for the event was $10,000. This Out of the Darkness Walk was the only walk in the state that met/exceeded its fundraising goal. The top fundraising team was the Dover Christian Church and the top fundraiser was Robin Green. A huge portion of the goal was met through business sponsorships. A huge thank you to Eichen’s, Hennessey Mercantile, Medic Pharmacy, Kingfisher Family Dental, Pioneer Telephone, Palmer Chiropractic, Baby in Bloom, Boeckman Ford, Oklahoma Ag Credit, Wheatland Veterinary Hospital, Teocalli Exploration, KC Accounting, Cadalack’s, Johnson’s of Kingfisher, Cimarron Electric, Oklahoma Complete Health, Kingfisher Times & Free Press, KJ Filmworks with All About Kingfisher and Hennessey, Eagle Propane, Jackson’s of Kingfisher, and Dover Christian Church. These walks are the primary fundraiser for AFSP. With these donations, they are able to provide programs for schools, mental health facilities, and other places without charging a fee. They also help with the 988 suicide hotline number.
As walk chairperson, Stephanie Guinn would like to thank those who helped her in the planning and coordinating of the event. Thank you to Brittney Hladik and the City of Kingfisher, the Kingfisher Police Department, and Racheal Hill with the Kingfisher Community Collaborative for the logistics and advertising of the event. Those who helped Stephanie are Marie Parrish as co-chair, Barbie Schroeder, and Kim Gritz at the registration table, Paula Leffingwell, Jill Moery, and Bert Gritz as professional counselors to help anyone in distress, Patty Hill for working at the honor bead table, Makaly Cranford for having water available at the halfway point of the walk, and Deanna Vaughn for the use of her portable sound system. Stephanie would most importantly like to thank her family, Erin, and Nathan Guinn for their support. Her daughter, Erin rode along with Stephanie and kept her organized as she was visiting local businesses. Nathan, her husband, was her biggest cheerleader through all stages of the walk and tolerated her when she was stressed.
Information and photos provided by Stephanie Guinn, Kingfisher County Out of the Darkness Walk Chairperson.
