The Lawyer Well-Being Committee of the Austin Bar Association invites you to participate in a fundraiser for suicide awareness and prevention.
The fundraiser is a walk that will take place on Oct. 26 at 10 a.m., starting at the Texas Capitol. These “Out of the Darkness” walks are hosted by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), which has chapters throughout the country. More than 400 walks to increase suicide awareness and awareness of prevention resources will take place in 2024.
The Austin Bar team name is Honoring Trevor Taylor and Aspen Dunaway. Both were Austin Bar members. Taylor died by suicide in 2017. Dunaway died by suicide in 2023.
If you would like to join our team, you can by making an account. During signup, you will be asked if you would like to join a team. You can search for either “Austin Bar” or “Honoring Trevor Taylor and Aspen Dunaway” to join.
You can also donate directly, either to the team’s page or to the Austin Bar’s participant page. Either way, the money will be aggregated to reach our goal of raising $1,000 for AFSP.
The Austin Walk has an overall fundraising goal of $225,000. As of Sept. 19, more than $74,000 had been raised.
According to documents on AFSP’s website:1
• A donation of $10 allows AFSP to distribute wristbands to spread mental health awareness;
• A donation of $50 provides suicide prevention education materials to 25 people;
• A donation of $100 takes the AFSP-produced film “It’s Real: Teens and Mental Health” to a local high school;
• A donation of $250 recruits and trains field advocates on public policy priorities;
• A donation of $500 trains a new “Survivor of Suicide Loss” support-group facilitator;
• A donation of $1,000 provides funds for youth suicide prevention outreach and programming;
• A donation of $2,000 hosts a research event to share how AFSP-funded research helps prevent suicide;
• A donation of $5,000 institutes an Interactive Screening Program (ISP) at a school or workplace. An ISP allows individuals to complete an anonymous mental health screening to be connected with mental health resources.2
AFSP has a four-star, or 100-percent positive reputation, on Charity Navigator. Additionally, Charity Watch, an independent watchdog, grades AFSP at an “A” and, based on tax filings, calculated that 80 percent of AFSP’s expenses are spent on program services, the remaining 20 percent on administrative costs.
And after you get done at the Community Walk, join the Austin Bar and the Mother Attorney Mentoring Association (MAMAs) for the Pro Bono Fall Festival! This family-friendly event will have crafts, games, a dunk tank, and a Halloween costume contest. All proceeds from the festival will benefit Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas. To register, visit austinbar.org.
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1 https://donordrivecontent.com/afsp/images/$cms$/104/18272.png.
