Vandegrift will have its first team to walk in the Out of Darkness walk. The walk takes place on October 19 at the Texas capitol building and will start at 10:30.

“The purpose of this walk is to honor loved ones who were lost to suicide and to educate the community about the prevalence of the issue,” team sponsor Rebecca Bumpas said.

The walk was given the name “Out of Darkness” because the organization wants to bring light to the issue and eliminate the stigma and taboos that exist around the topic of depression and suicide. After losing her brother to suicide, Bumpas did research on the topic and knew she wanted to do something about it.

“I believe by getting students and staff involved in this walk, we can begin to educate ourselves on the issue and hopefully prevent students from feeling that level of depression,” Bumpas said.

Any student can join the team and as of now Mrs. Bumpas is not putting any emphasis on the fundraising aspect of the walk.

“I just want to start educating our community and in future years, maybe we will make goals for the fundraising component,” Bumpas said.

To join the team or for more information about the walk see Mrs. Bumpas