Note: This article discusses suicide, depression and social isolation. If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.

By Ashley M. Casey

Associate Editor

Seven years ago this month, Stacy Green lost her brother, Chris Taddeo, to suicide. As the Cicero resident and North Syracuse Central School District teacher struggled to understand her brother’s death, she discovered the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

“That was really a huge part of my healing. I can’t change what happened to me, so what can I do now? Saving other people’s lives is certainly something I can do. I don’t want other siblings to have to go through what my family did,” Green said.

Now, Green is the chair of the AFSP’s annual fundraising walk, the Out of the Darkness Syracuse/Liverpool Experience. Like many fundraisers, this year’s walk looks a bit different thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.

The two-part Out of the Darkness Syracuse/Liverpool Experience kicks off Saturday, Oct. 10, at Long Branch Park in Liverpool. Between 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., fundraising team representatives can sign up for a time to pick up T-shirts, Honor Beads, resources, and luminaria. Pre-registration, face masks and social distancing are required, and hand sanitizer and masks will be available onsite.

“We’re running it like a drop-in event,” Green said. “It was really important for us to be there in person so people know we’re there for support.”

Participants can have their photos taken and sign the Wall of Hope and Remembrance at the Oct. 10 event, but they cannot stay and mingle. Teams are encouraged to hold their walk wherever it is convenient for them while respecting COVID-19 gathering restrictions.

The second part of the Out of the Darkness Experience takes place Oct. 17. Supporters across the AFSP’s Central New York chapter’s 10-county territory can “log on and view an online ceremony of hope and healing as we close out our 2020 season, a year like no other,” reads an AFSP press release about the event.

People can donate to the Out of the Darkness Syracuse/Liverpool Experience until Dec. 31, 2020.

“It doesn’t end on walk day,” Green said. “We still have an opportunity to earn more that will go on our walk total even after our experience.”

As a schoolteacher, Green said sees the impact social isolation and pandemic stress have had on her students, and her own anxiety has worsened since COVID-19 descended.

“That social isolation piece is already so bad for someone suffering from depression or mental illness,” Green said. “There is a concern that people are struggling even more now than they were before COVID hit.”

Green offered a few suggestions for coping with loneliness and depression during this time.

“Getting outside is huge for mental health … get some fresh air, do things you enjoy,” she said.

It is important to remember that you are not alone, Green said, adding that people can connect with friends and family on Zoom or reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.

“Reaching out, knowing yourself and knowing when you have to get help is important as well,” Green said. “It’s important too for people to give themselves grace at this time. Just knowing we’ll all get through this together but I don’t have to be perfect right now.”

To register for the Out of the Darkness Experience or donate, visit afsp.org/syracuse/.