Pictured are Karla and Zeke Crawford after completing an American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Overnight Walk. Photos provided by Karla Crawford.

By Liz Adkins
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Since 2008, September has been recognized as National Suicide Prevention Month.

Throughout the month, mental health advocates, prevention organizations, survivors, allies and community members unite to promote suicide prevention awareness. These entities also focus on shifting public perception of suicide, spreading hope and sharing vital information to those affected.

Karla Crawford and her husband, Zeke, who reside in Winona Lake, have participated in two Overnight Walks on the East Coast. The Overnight is the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s annual flagship fundraising event and is an endurance walk from dusk to dawn that rotates cities each year. 

Karla first began looking into Overnight Walks following the loss of her youngest brother, Erik Rosales, in October 2021. Rosales took his own life at the age of 27.

Erik Rosales

“Like any normal sibling relationship, it had its ups and downs, but the support we felt for one another remained unspoken yet profoundly strong,” said Karla. “Erik truly lived life to the fullest. He was incredibly hardworking and took immense pride in every project he tackled in construction, a field he loved deeply. But beyond his labor, Erik was kind-hearted. His generosity knew no bounds, and he loved fiercely. His smile could light up any room he entered. Yet beneath that radiant exterior, his suffering consumed him, and it pains me to know that I couldn’t alleviate his struggles.”

Crawford described losing a loved one to suicide as a “unique and profound trauma that is impossible to ignore.”

With suicide, Karla feels one prevalent misconception people have is that those who take their own lives are selfish.

“In reality, many of them feel like burdens, overwhelmed by their struggles,” said Karla. “Their minds convince them that they are a weight on the shoulders of those they love. This leads me to another critical misconception: the acknowledgment of genuine chemical imbalances in our brains. Mental health and mental illness can arise from these imbalances, just as physical ailments can affect any other organ. If we accept that our hearts can become sick, why is it so hard to believe that our brains can, too?”

Karla and Zeke signed up for their first Overnight Walk in New York City in February 2022, four months after Erik’s death. 

During these walks, individuals gather in one place with a shared purpose: to raise awareness, to stop suicide and to end the stigma.

At the nearly 18-mile walk in New York, the Crawfords walked overnight from dusk until dawn, surrounded by thousands of fellow survivors of suicide. Karla dedicated three months to training, her blistered feet and blood-stained socks a testament to the unforgiving, uneven streets in NYC.

“For the first time, I felt a sense of belonging,” said Karla about the walk. “I was no longer just a grieving sister. I was part of a community of survivors. We walked to honor our loved ones, to confront our own struggles and to stand in solidarity with others who had survived their own attempts. In that moment, I felt seen and understood. No longer was I the ‘strange lady’ advocating for mental health. Instead, my late brother was remembered with love and compassion, and the topic of mental health was embraced without hesitation.”

In 2024, the Crawfords participated in a 17-mile walk in Boston.

To qualify as walkers for the event, each individual has a fundraising goal of $1,700. As a student, Karla’s minimum requirement to raise is $700.

The Crawfords take time for a selfie during one of the Overnight Walks.

Raised funds support AFSP’s local chapters across the country, which provide invaluable resources for scientific research, public education on mental health and suicide prevention, advocacy for mental health policies and support for suicide survivors and those affected by suicide. 

Within a few hours of posting on social media about their walk in NYC, the Crawfords raised all the necessary funds with help from their family and friends. For the Boston walk, the Crawfords organized a food drive, raising $1,200 in just four hours.

“Zeke and I want to publicly express our gratitude to our local community and friends for their unwavering support,” said Karla. “With their help, we successfully raised nearly $2,500, all of which went directly to AFSP. We hope to engage even more community members in our cause for June 2025.”

Karla also emphasized the importance of discussing suicide prevention in society.

“It is our collective responsibility to initiate change, for the sake of our children and loved ones,” said Karla. “Let’s foster open conversations at home about the importance of mental health, and push our school systems to hammer down on bullying within our schools. The AFSP walks are a vital community-driven initiative that supports countless resources for grieving families and individuals struggling with their mental health. I encourage everyone to participate in a local walk, with local walks open to anyone who’d like to participate.”

Karla’s future plans to advocate for mental health and suicide prevention are deeply rooted in honoring Erik’s memory.

“In the near future, I aspire to establish a nonprofit organization in Erik’s name, with plans to create a charity 5K event where proceeds will be donated to AFSP and their vital research as well as also supporting local community members that lack funds for counseling services,” said Karla. “My goal is to touch the lives of others and work tirelessly to save the many individuals like Erik who are fighting their own battle. Together, we can create a community that embraces mental health awareness without the stigma, fosters support and inspires hope for a brighter future.”

If you need emotional support, reach out to the national mental health hotline at 988. Visit the AFSP website to learn more information about participating in a community walk near you, or to learn more about The Overnight.

A lantern in Erik’s honor at one of the AFSP Overnight walks.