2023 Indiana Chapter Highlights

Together, we are creating real and lasting change, and it’s thanks to you. We thank you for your shared commitment to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide throughout Indiana. It is because of you that we are able to deliver our educational, advocacy, and loss survivor support resources and programming to the community at no cost. Thank you to the hundreds of dedicated volunteers who have turned your generous gifts into action across our Hoosier communities.

Funds raised by AFSP will allow us to fund critical research, create and deliver evidence based educational programs and workshops, advocate for public policy, provide suicide prevention resources and literature throughout our Hoosier communities and support those impacted by suicide.

Chapter of the Year

At our annual Chapter Leadership Conference in January 2023, AFSP Indiana was recognized for several achievements during 2022.

The most prized is the Richard E. Kirkoff Overall Chapter of the Year. This is the first time our chapter has been honored with this award. Thank you to our dedicated and passionate volunteers!

Other awards for 2022 include:

• Richard E. Kirkoff Overall Chapter of the Year (Out of 74 AFSP Chapters)
• Outstanding Non-Event Fundraising for our License Plate Project
• Indianapolis Out of the Darkness Walk ranked #5 in the country for Community Walks (2022 Walk Season)
• Butler University Out of the Darkness Walk ranked #3 in the country for Campus Walks (2022 Walk Season)

2023 Hoosier Out of the Darkness Walks

Our chapter hosted 17 Out of the Darkness Walks, with 9,500 walkers, and over $873,000 raised to help fuel AFSP’s mission to save lives and bring hope to those impacted by suicide.

2023 Chapter Program Highlights

With the help of our volunteers, the Indiana Chapter:

• hosted Attachment-Based Family Therapy Workshop
• hosted Suicide Bereavement Clinician Training
• hosted Soul Shop for Black Churches (*First time for the chapter)
• hosted Adult Suicide Loss Support Group Facilitator Training
• hosted Child & Teen Suicide Loss Support Group Facilitator Training
• trained 25 Indiana State Chaplains to present Talk Saves Lives
• hosted 28 Indiana Chapter Volunteer Orientations
• hosted annual Indiana Advocacy Day at Indiana State Capitol
• hosted 9 safeTALK Workshops
• hosted 6 ASIST Workshops
• hosted 3 Supporting Those at Risk Programs
• hosted 5 It’s Real Teen / College Mental Health Programs
• hosted 48 Talk Saves Lives Programs (Modules: Standard, LGBTQ, Workplace & Corrections)
• hosted 11 International Survivors of Suicide Loss Days throughout Indiana in November

Out in the Community 

Our chapter had some really neat opportunities to engage throughout our Hoosier communities this year! Some of the highlights include: 

• Shinedown Concert | Fort Wayne
• Beyond Monumental Marathon | Indy
• Paul Hansan Memorial Golf Outing | Noblesville
• HVAF Veterans' Stand Down | Indy
• Jay Marie Salon and Spa Show for Hope | Schererville
• Music2Heal Concert | Zionsville
• Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC)| Indy
• Out of the Darkness Car Show | Anderson
• Rex the Rock Snake | Richmond
• Community Pride Events | Statewide

988 and Resource Distribution

In 2023 our Indiana Chapter:

• Designed and distributed 75,000 coffee sleeves with 988 and crisis resources to 45+ Hoosier coffee shops
• Provides 20,000 988 wallet cards monthly to Overdose Lifeline for their Naloxone kits (240,000 988 cards in total)
• Supplies schools, places of worship, workplaces, funeral homes, clinical behavioral health offices, police department firehouses and the greater community with suicide loss and suicide prevention resources at no cost

Thank you for helping spread hope and healing across our Hoosier communities! We could not do this important work without our amazing volunteers! 

Learn more about the Indiana Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention by visiting our chapter website at afsp.org/indiana and following us on our chapter Facebook and Instagram.