Autumn is here and fall fundraising walks are back in full force, live and in-person.
After years of virtual and hybrid events, people are excited to gather to support causes they care about, according to Gina Gillis, special events manager for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Arizona and New Mexico.
Gillis is also walk chair for the Out of the Darkness Walk Southern Arizona, which begins at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8, at Reid Park, at the at the corner of South Country Club Road and East 22nd Street. Registration and a resource fair begin at 9:30 a.m. For more information, go to tucne.ws/1lgt
“It will be wonderful to see our community come together again. It is super exciting because we know that during the pandemic people lost friends and loved ones not just to COVID, but to suicide. We want to acknowledge those losses and make sure people get the support they need,” said Gillis.
In the spirit of togetherness, family-friendly walk and affiliated activities are free. The event will feature a kid’s corner; guest speaker Andres Ruiz, who will discuss youth suicide prevention; a raffle; a resource fair with information from businesses and nonprofit organizations involved with mental health-care and suicide prevention; and activities of hope, healing and support for suicide attempt survivors and those who have lost someone to suicide.
Gillis said the Memory Tree and the Honor Bead ceremony are particularly poignant. The Memory Tree displays photos and names of loved ones who have been lost, while beads in the Honor Bead ceremony signify connections to the cause — for example, green beads represent a personal struggle, white represents loss of a child, red signals loss of a spouse or partner, and so on.
“Our real goal is to make this a hopeful, healing event. We want people to know they are not alone, whether they lost someone to suicide or they struggle themselves. In the Honor Bead ceremony, I wear white and I can see someone across the field and know without saying a word that we both experienced the same loss. So much strength comes from wearing these colors and acknowledging these struggles with mental illness,” said Gillis.
The losses are significant. In 2020, suicide was the second leading cause of death in Arizona for ages 10 to 34, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Additionally, 89% of Arizona communities lacked necessary mental health care providers to serve residents.
“These numbers are staggering. The data is from 2020, so it may not reflect statistics for COVID, when people were isolating and really struggling. Hopefully through education and prevention, we can bring the numbers down,” said Gillis.
Cancer walk
The American Cancer Society seeks to raise $115,000 to help eradicate breast cancer at Pink Out the Park Presented by TMC Health at 8 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 16. Registration begins at 7 a.m. For information go to tucne.ws/1lgu
Formerly Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, the walk has been rebranded to create a Tucson-specific event at UA Tech Park, 9070 S. Rita Road.
Roxanne Majeski-Hiller, development manager for the American Cancer Society Arizona, said that UA Tech Park boasts a beautiful campus and an event center that will host a VIP pancake breakfast for survivors and their guests courtesy of Walmart.
“When you are facing cancer and going through treatment, many people feel very alone. We are all in this together and want to showcase that by bringing together survivors, caregivers and anyone affected by breast cancer. Not only is the American Cancer Society there for you, but the whole community has your back,” said Majeski-Hiller.
Funds raised will support research and programs specific to breast cancer, including grants for screening and transportation to improve access to treatments, along with a range of other services.
Alzheimer’s walk
Research is also a priority for supporters of the Walk to End Alzheimer’s at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at Reid Park, 900 S. Randolph Way. Registration begins at 8 a.m. For more information, go to tucne.ws/1lgs
Funds raised will help advance Alzheimer’s research — in fact, more than $2 million in active research is in progress at University of Arizona and Arizona State University. The money will also provide care and support for those impacted by Alzheimer’s and their families, according to Morgen Hartford, Southern Arizona Community Executive for the Alzheimer’s Association Desert Southwest Chapter.
“Arizona is at the epicenter of the Alzheimer’s crisis. Alzheimer’s is growing faster here than in any state in the country. We have a high number of older adults and a really diverse population and Alzheimer’s doesn’t impact every demographic the same way. Hispanic Americans are 1½ times more likely than their white counterparts to develop Alzheimer’s and 30 percent of our population are Latino. Also, Arizonans on average spend almost 38 unpaid hours per week caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s. That is more per person than any other state in the country,” said Hartford.
To help alleviate the crisis, the walk has set a lofty goal of $290,000.
Light the Night
If helping to cure blood cancers is among your ambitions, consider joining The Leukemia & Lymphoma Light the Night Tucson at 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22 at Rillito Park, 4502 N. First Ave. For more information go to www.lightthenight.org/events/tucson
The event is is the only local fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and seeks to raise $600,000 for research and patient services ranging from urgent patient financial assistance and peer-to-peer support to co-pay and travel assistance.
“We also just launched the Dare to Dream Project, a pediatric initiative to transform treatment and care for kids with blood cancer. We are working to make sure that kids receive treatments tailored just to them,” said Christina Stucki, campaign development manager for the upcoming event.
