Southeastern Connecticut Out Of The Darkness Walk
Southeastern Connecticut Out Of The Darkness Walk brings hundreds of people together at McCook Point Park in Niantic on Saturday, September 12, for a morning centered on remembrance, support, and a shared determination to prevent suicide.
Organized by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Connecticut Chapter, the annual community walk welcomes people who have lost someone to suicide, those with their own lived experience, friends and family members, mental health professionals, and anyone who wants to support suicide prevention.
Check-in begins at 10 a.m., followed by the event at 11 a.m. Participation is free, although advance registration is encouraged. The walk itself is noncompetitive and will cover between one and three miles, with organizers posting the final Niantic route as Walk Day approaches.
More Than a Fundraising Walk
Out of the Darkness Walks take place in hundreds of communities around the country each year, but AFSP deliberately designed them to be more than charity walks.
For many participants, the reason for showing up is deeply personal.
Some walk in memory of a child, parent, sibling, spouse, friend or coworker lost to suicide. Others have survived a suicide attempt or experienced suicidal thoughts themselves. Some come to support someone they love, while others simply believe mental health and suicide prevention deserve more attention.
The result is an event where people who might never otherwise meet discover that they share an experience.
That idea is built into the name. Out of the Darkness is about bringing suicide into the open, replacing silence and stigma with conversation and making it easier for people to seek help before reaching a crisis.
The Niantic event includes an opening ceremony, activities focused on hope and healing, resource tables and AFSP’s Honor Bead program.
The Meaning Behind the Honor Beads
One of the most recognizable parts of an Out of the Darkness Walk is also one of its quietest.
Participants receive complimentary Honor Beads, with different colors representing the reason a person is walking.
White represents the loss of a child. Red represents the loss of a spouse or partner. Gold represents the loss of a parent. Orange represents the loss of a sibling, while purple represents the loss of another relative or friend.
Other colors speak to different experiences. Teal represents someone who has struggled personally or attempted suicide. Green represents a personal struggle or attempt, while blue shows general support for suicide prevention. Silver represents the loss of a first responder or member of the military.
Participants may wear more than one strand.
The beads create a kind of visual language throughout the walk. Someone who has difficulty approaching a stranger and explaining why they’re there may notice another person wearing the same color and immediately understand that they share something significant.
For an event dealing with experiences that can be difficult to put into words, that recognition can matter.
Why AFSP Walks
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention was established in 1987 by a group that included researchers and families who had lost loved ones to suicide.
Its work now stretches across scientific research, public education, advocacy, community programs and support for people affected by suicide loss.
The Out of the Darkness program has become one of the organization’s most visible efforts. AFSP reported nearly 600 Community and Campus Walks and more than 220,000 participants in its 2025 annual reporting.
The money raised through the walks helps fund research into suicide and its prevention, educational programs in schools and workplaces, advocacy for public policies related to mental health and suicide prevention, and programs supporting people who have experienced suicide loss.
Funds raised through the Southeastern Connecticut Walk specifically help support AFSP programs and work across Connecticut.
Walking During Suicide Prevention Week
This year’s Niantic walk falls at a particularly meaningful point on the calendar.
September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and September 6–12 is National Suicide Prevention Week in 2026. World Suicide Prevention Day takes place Thursday, September 10, just two days before the Southeastern Connecticut walk.
AFSP is using the month to encourage people to talk more openly about suicide prevention, learn how to recognize when someone may need help and become involved in their own communities.
The September 12 gathering at McCook Point Park puts that national effort into a distinctly local setting.
People aren’t simply sharing a social media post or wearing a ribbon. They’re physically showing up beside neighbors who may be carrying grief, supporting someone who’s struggling or dealing with experiences of their own.
Fundraising Is Encouraged, But It Isn’t Required
There is no registration fee or fundraising minimum to participate in the Southeastern Connecticut Out of the Darkness Walk.
People can register individually, join an existing team or create a team of their own. Each registered participant receives a personal fundraising page that can be customized with a photograph and the story behind why they’re walking.
AFSP also offers incentives for participants who choose to fundraise.
Anyone who individually raises at least $150 by September 12 earns the official 2026 Out of the Darkness Walk T-shirt at the event. Participants who raise more than $250 qualify for an additional recognition gift sent after Walk Day.
But raising money isn’t a condition of joining the community.
Someone who simply needs to be there can walk.
Donations to the Southeastern Connecticut event remain open through December 31, 2026.
McCook Point Provides a Waterfront Setting
The walk takes place at McCook Point Park, overlooking Long Island Sound in Niantic.
The East Lyme town park encompasses McCook Point and the adjoining McCook Beach, with lawns, walking areas and views across Niantic Bay and Long Island Sound. Its combination of open green space and waterfront makes it particularly well suited to an event that includes gathering, remembrance and a community walk.
Participants should plan to arrive before the 11 a.m. start if they need to check in. Registration opens at 10 a.m., providing time for walkers to gather, visit resource tables and take part in activities before the formal program begins.
The exact 2026 walking route has not yet been announced. AFSP says Community Walk routes generally range from one to three miles and are noncompetitive.
There is no pressure to finish first. That’s not what this walk is about.
A Place for People Who “Get It”
Perhaps the most important part of an Out of the Darkness Walk happens outside the mileage and fundraising totals.
AFSP describes the walks as places where people can find others who “get it.”
Suicide loss can leave families and friends carrying questions and grief that are difficult to explain to people who haven’t experienced it. People who have survived their own suicidal crisis may face a different kind of isolation, including fear about how others will react if they talk about what happened.
At McCook Point Park, those experiences don’t have to be hidden.
Some participants will arrive carrying photographs or wearing shirts honoring someone they’ve lost. Others will wear Honor Beads that quietly tell their story. Teams may walk together under the name of a person they’re remembering.
And some people may simply walk.
All of them belong there.
Details
Event: Southeastern Connecticut Out Of The Darkness Walk
Date: Saturday, September 12, 2026
Check-In: 10 a.m.
Event Start: 11 a.m.
Event Hours: 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
Location: McCook Point Park
Address: 12 Atlantic Street, Niantic, CT 06357
Organizer: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Connecticut Chapter
Admission: Free
Registration: Advance registration is encouraged
Walk Length: Between 1 and 3 miles; final 2026 route to be announced
Format: Noncompetitive community walk
Program: Opening ceremony, hope and healing activities, resource tables and complimentary Honor Beads
Fundraising: Encouraged but not required to participate
Walk T-Shirt: Participants who individually raise at least $150 by September 12 receive the official Out of the Darkness Walk shirt at the event
Donations: Accepted through December 31, 2026
Event Contact: Natasha Mozden
Phone: 860-917-8831
Email: natashamozden@gmail.com
More information is available at the Event Website link below.
To register for the walk or make a donation, click the Event Website link below.
Featured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people, location, or activities shown.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Reference:
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention – Connecticut Chapter
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention – Out of the Darkness Walks