Welcome to the Personal Fundraising Page of Maria Maldonado

Hi Everyone...

On Saturday July 22nd I will be joining thousands of people in a 20 mile overnight walk through the streets of San Francisco in an effort to bring attention, education & funding for a very sad, dark & not very talked about subject, SUICIDE.

Many of you know, this has personally affected me. I lost my husband to suicide on July 25, 1997 and have faced a personal struggle to overcome & move forward. That day I became & will forever be a member of this taboo society of Survivors of Suicide.

Every 18 minutes someone dies by suicide. Many are people who have suffered years of mental illness, depression, abuse, stress, peer pressure & problems with life issues. Many just needed professional counseling, some needed medication & others, somewhere to feel safe & not be judged or criticized for their emotional state. Unfortunately, too many are left to deal with their turmoil alone & without guidance. Many choose to not reach out due to the way these problems are not accepted in mainstream society, work place environment or even within family households. The bottom line is that wonderful Mothers, Fathers, Siblings, Friends & Neighbors are dying. We need to accept that this is happening & address it as open & as often as we now talk about HIV & AIDS, ALCOHOL & DRUG ADDICTION & DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.

With that said, we are moving forward. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is hosting this walk to raise funds & help spread awareness & ultimately save lives. Each Survivor has been asked to raise $1,000.00 dollars to participate in this event.

So, I'm personally asking all of my friends, co-workers, weekend buddies & anyone else who wants to help me raise $1,000.00 dollars so that I can walk along side others who walk in my footsteps & have lost a loved one to suicide. Your one time donation will allow me to walk for Lutz Wielath, my late husband - suicided 1997, a friend - suicided 1999, my mother's friend - suicided 2005 and a neighbor - suicided 2005.

Your contribution is tax deductible & will help fund:

- National Survivors of Suicide Conferences
- Create New Support Groups
- Suicide Prevention Education on College Campuses
- Research / Improve Factors that Contribute to Suicide

So, please log on to my personal support page on The Overnight.org, find my name & donate what you can to this very important & personally special cause so that we can start saving lives.

Thank you all so much!

Maria Maldonado

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