This year, as for the past several years, the Central Jersey chapter of the AFSP is having their walk in New Brunswick at Buccleuch Park between the Raritan River and Easton Avenue.  This walk will take place today, Sunday, September 30, 2012 beginning at 9 a.m., thousands of walkers will join together to walk circles around Buccleuch Park in remembrance of someone they’ve lost, for their own personal struggle, or just to end the struggle of others.  They will walk in a desperate attempt to make a difference.

Over 36,000 people commit suicide in the U.S each year.  That’s a friend, a mother, a lover, a son.  Every year, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) raises awareness and promotes safety and research through donations.  Across the nation in hundreds of locations, the AFSP host chapters have Out of the Darkness Community walks, the AFSP’s primary fundraiser.

Christine Stolte, age 24 and a Cranford native, is no different.  She is going on her fourth year doing the AFSP Out of the Darkness Walk in New Brunswick.  Stolte has not only lost several people to suicide, but she herself has struggled personally for over a decade.  The first year that Stolte signed up to complete the walk in 2009; she had been released from the psychiatric ward suffering suicidal tendencies two days before the walk.  She was unable to physically be at the walk, but her team walked with her in mind.

This year, Stolte has branched off and has made her own team that is quickly growing: “J’aime La Vie,” French for “I love life.”  The team consists of family and friends, including her two teenage nieces.  Stolte is hoping to make this team larger in the coming weeks and garner a great amount of donations and recognition for the foundation.

To join her team, sign up at: http://afsp.donordrive.com/team/jaimelavie or to donate to Christine: http://afsp.donordrive.com/participant/stoltechris.  All are welcome.