This article was posted with written permission from Stephen Deathrage.
Theta Chi brothers lead hundreds in walk at University of Alabama to raise funds for suicide prevention
By Stephen Deathrage/sdeathrage@al.com
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- Hundreds of people, led by the brothers and pledges of the Theta Chi chapter at the University of Alabama, walked across campus Sunday to raise funds for and awareness of the cause of suicide prevention.
The march, called the Out of the Darkness Community Walk, is the signature fundraising event of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. More than 450 people registered to participate in advance of the event and many more signed up on site -- an organizer said she thought 600 people or more took part in the walk Sunday afternoon.
The fraternity men marched in memory of their brother Parker Jordan, who was found dead in the chapter's house Monday morning. The 22-year-old junior was an accounting major originally from Fort Worth, Texas.
The stated goal of the event was to raise $10,000 for suicide prevention. As of Sunday afternoon, more than $33,000 has been donated to the cause, a number which does not include money donated on site at the walk.
The event's biggest fundraising team by fair is UA's Theta Chi chapter, whose members have raised more than $16,000 in Jordan's memory.
Other greek organizations also raised thousands of dollars for the cause. Phi Mu's team raised more than $6,000, Pi Beta Phi contributed $1,700 and several other fraternities and sororities raised hundreds of dollars each for the walk.
The event was organized by the University of Alabama Counseling Center and SOS Tuscaloosa, a local suicide prevention support group.
Mary Turner, the founder of SOS Tuscaloosa, told those gathered for the walk that suicide has haunted her all her life. She said her father, mother and brother all took their own lives, driving her to found the support group and spend her time and energy fighting for the cause of suicide prevention.
"Let's walk today in memory of our loved ones. Let's walk today to remove the stigma from mental illness. Let's walk today to help overcome it -- let us walk today for the prevention of suicide," Turner said. "We can and we will make a difference."
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