Lawrence Campus Walk nears fundraising goal, grows community support

The Lawrence Area Campus Walk returned to the Lawrence Rotary Arboretum with 93 participants already signed up and more than $6,400 raised, leaving organizers within reach of a goal that had been set at 100 walkers and $10,000. The stronger turnout matters because every additional dollar expands suicide-prevention research, education, advocacy and survivor support tied to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Heather Fiore, who helped organize the Lawrence effort, said the local committee became more organized over the past year, and that shift showed up in the event’s reach. More University of Kansas students joined the effort this year, and the campus connection was visible in the walk’s volunteer listing, which identified the event as Hope Walks Here: Suicide Prevention Awareness Walk. For the fifth annual Lawrence walk, the gathering was designed as both a fundraiser and a place where grief could be acknowledged in public rather than carried alone.

The walk at the arboretum included more than the route itself. Participants could visit vendors, pick up honor beads, add names or messages at a memorial wall, take photos with props and register as individuals or teams. The event also featured poetry readings and a raffle with prizes donated by local businesses including Cottin’s Hardware and Nostalgia Room. Those pieces turned the walk into a community gathering as much as a fundraiser, giving families a way to remember loved ones and support one another in the same space.

That local role is sharpened by Douglas County’s public-health numbers. Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health says suicide is the second leading cause of death in the county for people ages 15 to 44 and the eighth leading cause of death overall. Its 2019-2023 age-adjusted suicide rate, 14.8 per 100,000, remains above the Healthy People 2030 target of 12.8. From 2021 to 2023, suicide accounted for 80% of all violent deaths and 72% of all firearm-related deaths in Douglas County.

The county and state context helps explain why a student-centered walk can still have broad civic impact. Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health became the first health department in Kansas to implement the Zero Suicide Program in 2024, while Engage Douglas County says Kansas’ suicide rate has risen 45% since 1999, the fifth-highest increase in the country. The AFSP’s Healing Conversations program also connects suicide-loss survivors with trained volunteers who are survivors themselves, adding another layer of support beyond the annual walk. In Lawrence, a bigger crowd means more money, more visibility and a larger network of help for families who need it most.