SMAC hosts annual Out of the Darkness Walk
Photo courtesy of Knight’s Life Editor, Regan Russell
Sisters Making a Change (SMAC) hosted their annual Out of the Darkness Walk on campus in partnership with the Livingston County Suicide Prevention Task Force.
On Sunday, Apr. 27, 2025, Sisters Making a Change (SMAC) hosted their annual Out of the Darkness Walk on campus in partnership with the Livingston County Suicide Prevention Task Force, a fundraiser dedicated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).
The event raised 4,224 dollars, which will be directly donated to AFSP. They continue collecting donations directly through their website even after the walk has concluded.
The event was largely planned by Geneseo students London Patane, a senior Spanish and communication double major, and Kaleigh Silverstein, a senior Spanish major with a linguistics minor. The two have been the service chairs for SMAC this semester and are responsible for planning various service events that SMAC participates in throughout the year.
In preparation for the walk, SMAC hosted three additional fundraising events. In the two weeks leading up to the event, SMAC hosted a table in the MacVittie College Union selling various fidget toys. Sisters of SMAC rotated table shifts and educated students on the upcoming event.
Also, in the Macvittie Union, SMAC hosted a “Pie a SMAC” event on Apr. 9 and Apr. 10 in collaboration with Men of Action and Change (MAC) and the Royal Lady Knights (RLK). Students could pay a small fee to pie one of the students present, with the pies consisting of plates full of shaving cream. On the first day of this event alone, SMAC raised 300 dollars, all of which was directly donated to AFSP. SMAC also hosted a bake sale off campus on Friday, Apr. 4, in which various sisters contributed freshly baked goods such as cupcakes, brownies, and cookies.
On the date of the walk, registration began at 11:00 AM, and the walk began at 12:00 PM. Before the walk began, participants had the opportunity to visit various tables present to learn about the importance of AFSP and collect resources for those who may be struggling with their mental health.
One of the tables contained honor beads for participants. These beads are worn during the walk to show one's connection to the cause. The meanings of the different color beads are as follows: white is loss of a child, red is loss of a spouse or partner, gold is loss of a parent, orange is loss of a sibling, purple is loss of a friend or relative, silver is loss of a first responder or military member, green is personal attempt or struggle, teal is supporting someone who struggles or has attempted, blue is for supporting the cause, and rainbow is honoring the LGBTQIA+ community.
These beads are available to all participants of the walk and those volunteering. For those at the walk to honor a certain individual, buttons were also provided, which read, “I am walking for…” This allowed participants to fill in the names of those they support and honor them in another way.
The walk began after a performance by Hips ‘n Harmony, an all-female identifying A cappella group on campus. Members of SMAC were positioned on the walk route to hand out water or to cheer on those walking.