Overview

• Around 6,000 participants gathered Saturday for AFSP’s 22nd annual Out of the Darkness Chicagoland walk.
• AFSP Illinois executive director Angela Cummings described a palpable sense of hope and encouraged open talk about mental health.
• Families and survivors honored loved ones and shared testimonies, including ABC7 anchor Ryan Chiaverini remembering his brother.
• The event offered education, on-site support, and honor beads signifying how suicide has affected each participant.
• Reporting cited CDC data that a person dies by suicide every 11 minutes and directed those needing help to call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org.