Local Walk Scheduled to Raise Awareness of Maternal Mental Illness

Climb Out of the Darkness®, the world’s largest event raising awareness of pregnancy and postpartum mental health disorders, will hold a regional Climb in Fredericksburg on June 24. Friends, families, and survivors of postpartum depression (PPD), anxiety, OCD, bipolar disorder, and psychosis from all over the world climb, hike, or walk together at a local mountain or park to symbolize their collective rise out of the darkness as well as to raise funds for Postpartum Support International (PSI), a nonprofit organization and online community of support resources for women around the world. This is the fifth annual Climb Out of the Darkness®, always held around the longest day of the year to shine the most possible light on maternal mental illness.

All moms, dads, families, and friends are invited to participate in their local Climb Out of the Darkness® to be held at the Massad Family YMCA in Fredericksburg on June 24 at 10:00 AM. Participants must register prior to the event at https://www.crowdrise.com/virginia-fredericksburg/. Sponsorships from local businesses are also being accepted. Please contact local Climb Leader, Emma Rinker, at COTDFredericksburg@gmail.com for more information on sponsorships that will help support the Climb.

“It is an exciting time for Climb out of the Darkness and a growing awareness worldwide of the mental health needs of new and expecting parents,” said Wendy N. Davis, Executive Director of Postpartum Support International. “We are honored to host the Climb, an innovative creation of Postpartum Progress, which started the Climb in 2013. This year, we’ve organized the fundraising so that local groups can raise money for their own initiatives, or raise funds for the international organization. Working together, we are improving the safety net for families around the world.”

Money raised by the Climb will support PSI goals to provide funds to local groups and organizations, provide low-cost training in perinatal mood disorders for providers in under-served areas, train law enforcement and legal experts, mentor peer supporters and group leaders, and train primary healthcare providers. To learn more about Climb Out of the Darkness®, visit http://www.postpartum.net/join-us/climb-out-of-the-darkness-2017 or contact the local Climb Leader, Emma Rinker at COTDFredericksburg@gmail.com.