Kauneonga Lake — The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) held its “Out of the Darkness” Community Walk in Sullivan County on Saturday, October 4th – leaving from the Bethel Senior Center in Kauneonga Lake. With picture-perfect weather, over 180 Sullivan County residents joined hundreds of thousands of people across the country who walked and are walking in September and October in “Out of the Darkness” Community Walks to prevent suicide and support AFSP’s mission to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide.  Sullivan County Walk Chairperson, Lori Schneider says, “If you’ve never lost anyone you care about to Suicide – consider yourself very lucky. If you have lost someone you love to Suicide, you’re not alone.” Schneider was gratified to see so many people come out in support of this important cause, and to have raised (as of right now) over $16,000 locally. Of the sixteen Teams represented, Team “Shining Spectacularly for Spec” raised the most money and led the walk.  In their story, the Team shared that they were “…walking to honor the memory of Bryan “Spec” DeGraw …and for every life touched by Suicide. We walk to raise awareness, to fight stigma, to support those who are struggling, and to honor those we’ve lost. Together, step by step we can bring light to the darkness and create hope for tomorrow.”

Special thanks to the Town of Bethel, Bold Gold Media, Resorts World Catskills, The Monticello Bagel Bakery, Nonni’s, ShopRite, Dunkin’ Donuts of White Lake, Lemonade, and to all the volunteers and walkers who made the day an incredible success. There is still time to make a donation through the end of the year, which will go toward the proceeds of the Sullivan County walk - log onto afsp.org/SullivanCounty. Plans for the 2026 Walk are already underway, with a tentative date of the first Saturday in October. For information about support for survivors of a Suicide Loss, phone NAMI Sullivan County at (845) 794-1029.