By Kerry Rahm
krahm@wbcowqel.com
Wind, cold, and rain did not deter those who came out Saturday morning to honor the memory of individuals lost and to offer support for the Into the Light Annual Walk for Suicide Prevention, now in its 12th year. The event’s starting location was the Aumiller Park pavilion building in Bucyrus.
Ginger Gamble, chairperson of both the walk and the Crawford County Suicide Prevention Coalition, was compelled to help others after the loss of her son due to suicide. She took an active role by getting involved with efforts to publicize the issue and to help create awareness around it. “Suicide is the last taboo,” she said. “People don’t want to talk about it.”
The walk is largely organized by the coalition with help from other county wide entities, including Bucyrus based Community Counseling Services, Inc., the Crawford-Marion Board of Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services (ADAMH), CONTACT Crawford County, and Maryhaven of Bucyrus.
The city of Bucyrus donates the use of the pavilion where the staff and walkers gather. Eighty people have registered this year, including those wishing to walk as part of a team. Gamble expects about 120 walkers total. Registration fees, pledges, and tax deductible donations make up funds raised for the day. The event has always been held the second weekend in May of every year.
T-Shirts are produced especially for the walk, and plaques go to those who give $250 or more to the cause or have at least five people within their team. Seigneur Photography took professional photographs for free to document the event and take team pictures for plaques. Gamble took a cue from national suicide prevention walks by offering colored bead necklaces, to be worn by those who have lost a loved one. Necklace color represented those who have departed, whether a grandfather, son, cousin, or another family member, or even a friend.
Some walkers displayed their team spirit by spraying their hair bright colors, and some individuals even wore commemorative T-shirts in remembrance. Most participants have been directly affected by suicide.
“Somebody that’s lost somebody, a loved one,” Gamble said.
She also said the walk is not solely about athletic activity, it’s about “awareness, education, and camaraderie, and coming together. Those things are the reason why we have a meal at the end.” Gamble prepares the sandwiches for the meal, hangs signs, and tapes down direction arrows herself. She admits that she’s “trying to delegate more.”
Gamble explained the money raised will be used mainly for continuing suicide prevention programs in schools. The ACT method helps in screening students- usually between 6th through 8th grade- in Crawford County schools for depression and concerning behavior. “It costs about $9,000 for that alone,” she says.
The ACT method has a simple message, one that says kids can help identify suicidal behavior in other kids:
Acknowledge: Listen to your friend, don’t ignore threats
Care: Let your friend know you care
Tell: Tell a trusted adult so they can help
“People don’t realize it costs so much to screen the kids, but we’ve already run into some 
emergency situations where we have been able to help. Kids talk to other kids about these things,” said Gamble.
Into the Light is about “education, awareness, support and treatment,” says the director of the ADAMH board Jody Demo-Hodgins. “We want people to know that treatment is out there, but you can’t recover if you don’t start the process toward that.”
“Treatment works and people recover.”
“For those who struggle with depression, all they see is darkness… as they go through treatment and therapy, they gain tools to help them recover.”
The opening ceremony was held at the Memory Tree next to the playscape at the park. Cindy Wallis of Community Counseling also spoke about ACT and that the coalition has been a presence in “almost every single school in Crawford County… You can’t just stay by the sidelines and not get involved. That is not an option anymore. One lost life is too much.”
“Thank you for being here, getting sponsors, and making a difference.”
Gamble offered a poignant thought, the root of why she cares about the event, why she continues with it year after year.
“This is the way I heal myself. I don’t want other people to go through what I went through.”
For more information about next year’s event, and how you can get involved, contact Ginger Gamble at 419-562-8235.