3 / SPOTLIGHT
THURSDAY, OCT. 24, 2013 / NEWSRECORD.ORG
Cincinnati residents raise funds, awareness for suicide Thousands gather in honor of victims during emotional, thought-provoking 10th annual event MELANIE TITANIC-SCHEFFT CONTRIBUTOR
Cincinnati’s Sawyer Point was the scene of a luminary candlelight vigil Sunday, as hundreds of friends, supporters and family members participated in the 10th annual Out of the Darkness Walk in honor of loved ones who committed suicide. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention hosted the event, which raised suicide awareness and offered help and support groups to anyone affected by suicide. More than 1,700 people gathered, cried, comforted one another and told stories as they walked in groups wearing T-shirts with the names and faces of those remembered. At the end of the event, the intended fundraising goal of $75,000 was surpassed by a total $83,600. People approached each other asking how to deal with their loss and lending personal support. Family and friends of 18-year-old Spencer Gambrel were among many who shared stories about their loved ones.
“None of us had any idea that he had thoughts of suicide. He was a normal teenage boy who was full of laughter and occasional mischief at school.” Vicki Murphy, grandmother of 18-year-old suicide victim Spencer Gambrel
“None of us had any idea that he had thoughts of suicide,” said Vicki Murphy, Gambrel’s grandmother. “He was a normal teenage boy who was full of laughter and occasional mischief at school. I don’t want to go on living myself sometimes. He was my whole life.” The outpouring of mixed emotions and support was common along Cincinnati’s Ohio River banks. Local trained volunteers from the AFSP were on hand to provide resources for grief counseling, and many friendly four-legged family members were there to provide a muchneeded lick on the face to those who needed it. Banners, T-shirts and “Love Life 4 Jason” bracelets honored the life of 23-year-old Jason Dennis. “Jason was a fun-loving and affectionate boy all [of] his life, but he became a victim of bullying and it got to be too much for him,” said Angie Dennis, Jason Dennis’ mother. “We started a Facebook site called ‘Love Life 4 Jason’ and it has been a wonderfully therapeutic resource for us, as well as many others who post their stories and support on our site.” Those who gathered in honor of 28-year-old Daniel Braun expressed tremendous frustration with the Cincinnati Veteran’s Hospital and the psychological help he had to wait so long to get. “Daniel served two tours in Iraq in the U.S. Air Force before coming home suffering from depression,” said Linda Braun, Daniel Braun’s mother. “When Daniel went to the VA to get psychological help, he had to wait six months to get in. By then it was too little, too late. Something has to be done about our VAs and the lack of timely psychological help for these traumatized soldiers.” Many other combat-related stories and appeals for more military psychological services were echoed throughout the evening’s event.
MELANIE TITANIC-SCHEFFT | CONTRIBUTOR
Paper lanterns among serene fall foliage donned the names of suicide victims during the Out of the Darkness Walk. Thousands of participants filled Sawyer Point on Sunday to remember lost loved ones and show support. The walk surpassed the event’s fundraising goal, bringing in a total of $83,600.
Linda Bergholz, director of the Loveland Music Academy, was on hand as a two-year AFSP volunteer and spoke candidly about her personal loss and the loss to her music school in Loveland, Ohio. “My former student, since he was 5 years old, became a brilliant piano and saxophone player and later taught at the academy,” Bergholz said. “At the age of 23, our beloved Mitchell Schnure took his own life after being treated for depression and breaking up with his girlfriend. He was such a perfectionist in his music and his teaching, and was beloved by all his students and especially the staff at the academy. What a tremendous loss to us all.” Andy Mclain provided soulful guitar music under the P&G Pavilion. Mclain was also a teacher at the Loveland Music
Academy and a close friend to Mitchell Schnure. “Mitchell was such a gifted classical and jazz piano and sax player and teacher. His death was not only a shock, but was a tremendous loss to all of us, especially my sister Katie, his best friend,” Mclain said. One of the strongest emotions expressed was guilt, mostly for not recognizing the presence of serious problems. Feelings of anger, sadness, pain and loneliness quickly followed for most of those who spoke on behalf of grieving friends and family. To help shed light on these feelings, members of AFSP were there to answer questions, provide information about local support groups and encourage volunteers to help with future fund raising efforts.
MELANIE TITANIC-SCHEFFT | CONTRIBUTOR
Participants wore shirts with the faces and names of victims, carried signs and shared moving quotes. ABOVE: Loved ones paid respects to victim Spencer Gambrel. BELOW: Katie Sullivan remembers close friend and fellow teacher Mitchell Schnure with a poignant tattoo.
“What a tremendous loss to us all.” MELANIE TITANIC-SCHEFFT | CONTRIBUTOR
ABOVE: Loved ones of 18-year-old suicide victim Spencer Gambrel were among thousands of participants overcome with emotion at the Out of the Darkness Walk. BELOW: Participants walked on a route lined with paper lanterns created in remembrance of victims.
Linda Bergholz, Loveland Music Academy director and coworker of suicide victim Mitchell Schnure