HAMPDEN – Bill and Cathy Bennett and their daughter Gen Reidl will embark on a 20-mile walk on June 9 in New York. They will walk from sunset to sunrise to raise funds and awareness of suicide prevention, education and research programs, and to support survivors of those who have lost loved one to suicide.

Net proceeds from the Out of Darkness event in New York City will benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

“We are walking in memory of our son and Gen’s brother, Dan, who at the age of 24 died by suicide on June 5, 2003,” said Cathy and Bill Bennett. “Dan was a wonderful young man with a great sense of humor and everyone loved him. However, he struggled with drugs, alcohol and depression. We miss Dan so much and want to help the foundation educate the public and help those who suffer from mental illness and depression.

“Losing someone to suicide is very difficult to understand and leaves one with so many unanswered questions,” she said. “We have been blessed to find a Survivors of Suicide Support group in Bangor call Safe Place, which meets 6:30-8 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month at Brookings-Smith Family Center, 133 Central St., Bangor.”

Each participant in the Out of Darkness walk agrees to raise at least $1,000, so as a team the Bennetts must raise $3,000. They are doing so through donations, a raffle of baskets filled with products donated by direct sales companies and fundraising through Longaberger at the Mother’s Day Expo, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, April 29, at the Bangor Motor Inn Conference Center, Hogan Road. Thirty percent of product sales also go to the foundation.

Those who wish to help the Bennetts reach their fundraising goal may visit www.TheOvernight.org, click on “Support a Participant” and type in William or Catherine Bennett, or Genevieve Reidl.

“Any donation will be appreciated,” the Bennetts said.

It is estimated that nearly 1 million people make a suicide attempt each year and that every 16 minutes someone in the United States dies by suicide. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among adults 18 to 65, the third cause of death among teens and young adults, the second for college students and accounts for 20 percent of the deaths among those over 65.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is the only national not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research and education, and to reaching out to those with mood disorders, and those affected by suicide.

For more information about The Overnight, call (888) 843-6837 or visit www.TheOvernight.org.