'Out of the Darkness' suicide prevention walk draws 500 walkers, shines light on depression

More than 500 walkers breathed in hope and healing at the eighth annual "Out of the Darkness" Suicide Prevention Walk held Sunday at Gallup Park in Ann Arbor.

The event, which raised more than $41,000 for the cause locally and for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention nationally, was the most successful of its kind to date.

"The turnout was amazing. It is the biggest walk we've had so far," said event chairwoman Tiffany Messer, who helped raise $33,000 for the walk in 2010. "I'm amazed, excited and honored that so many people came out to support the cause."

Ironically, Messer is a 2004 graduate of Milan High School, the local community that was deeply affected over the previous school year from the suicide deaths of two of its seniors, Eric Harrison and Brian Copaciu. A current Milan resident, Messer is saddened that the community had to go through so much over the past year, and continues to feel a sense of urgency to make suicide prevention information readily available.

"I did not experience anything like this when I was a student at Milan, so it was hard for me to know exactly what to do to help. But I knew I had to do something," Messer said.

One thing that Messer was able to accomplish in response to the Milan suicides was to designate part of the funds from the 2010 "Out of the Darkness" walk to send a number of community members to Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training last February.

Messer also has ties to the Saline community as that is where the step-brother of her boyfriend, Brent Johnson, resided. Johnson's step-brother, Jake Kaidan, took his own life as a Saline High School student in 2006. As a way to show Johnson's family her concern, Messer began taking on increasing levels of responsibility for the walk, which led her to her current role.

"I've been able to see how such a loss has affected him (Johnson) and his family, and it branches out to the community. Just so many people that one life touches," Messer said. "It was very sad and disheartening, so I wanted to do what I could to make a difference."