The 2019 Out of the Darkness Hays area walk is set to begin at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Municipal Park in Hays to support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

The organization has a goal of reducing the annual suicide rate by 20 percent before 2025.

“Kansans are dying by suicide at increasing rates,” said Kyle Carlin in a recent letter to the Post about the event. “Suicide is now the eighth leading cause of death in Kansas, up from 10^th, and is the second leading cause of death for individuals aged 15-24 and those aged 25-44. Luckily, suicide is preventable.”

The full letter can be found here.

On-site registration will begin at 1 p.m., with the walk scheduled to start at 2 p.m.

To register prior before noon Friday, or for more information about the walk and its mission, click here.

The event is free and open to the public.