Every day, about one hundred and twelve Americans take their own life.

Suicide claims more lives than war, murder and natural disasters combined.

This year, The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is hosting a community walk like no other. The Out of the Darkness walk is an experience; from sunset to sunrise, walking through the night, to honor, to heal, to laugh and to cry. Whether you have lost someone special to suicide, or you struggle with mental illness yourself, the Overnight connects everyone who aspires to take a stand against suicide.

On June twenty- seventh, Boston will be hosting The Out of the Darkness walk. Walkers of all ages and kinds will work together to change the conversation about mental illness and help put a stop to self- inflicted loss of life.

In the Opening Ceremony, people from all backgrounds will share their stories and put forth their emotions to be felt by the rest of the force. Each and every person participates for the same reason, so everyone is supportive and everyone is a piece of the group hug and the line of held hands.

“Cry if you need to cry… laugh. Nobody is going to judge you. It’s just… it’s overwhelmingly beautiful is what it is,” one walker says (http://theovernight.donordrive.com).

The goal of the Overnight walk is to spread to word about suicide to the public. The purpose is to make suicide prevention a national priority. The intention is to bring people with mental illness and their families out of the darkness and to be a light in the darkness for all those affected by suicide.

At the end of the route, thousands and thousands of luminaries are lit- each one igniting for a life ended by suicide. As the sun comes up, a sense of accomplishment will rise as well. Every single person surrounding you has completed the same journey and the same mission. Each walker will have made their contribution in honoring those who lost their fight, and will have also helped those who need guidance find it.

The luminaries may be doused by morning, but the light created by the healing and the hope of the 2015 Out of the Darkness walk will never be put out. The light shining that will take suicide out of the darkness will never be extinguished.

So, put a team together, start fundraising and be the light among thousands of others to bring a suffering cause out of the shadows.