This Volunteer Spotlight story originally appeared in AFSP's 2024 Annual Report. To read other inspiring Volunteer Spotlight stories, and to learn more about our work, click here.
Anne Deubel didn’t plan on getting involved in suicide prevention when she attended her first Out of the Darkness Community Walk at the age of 14. Walking alongside a family friend that day, she was inspired to volunteer, seeing how many members of her community had been impacted. Anne’s connection to the cause is personal, as well. As someone who lives with suicidal ideation and is a survivor of loss, Anne is now a longtime volunteer: a member of the Long Island Chapter board who has contributed in many ways over the years, including spearheading the development of the chapter’s first Campus Walk. Her involvement has led her to a career in suicide prevention, as director of crisis services and operations for her local crisis center.
“I think the most significant thing I’ve learned, reflecting on what AFSP’s Walks have meant to me, is that we all have the opportunity to positively impact things. After my first Walk, I attended a committee meeting where I was certain I had nothing to contribute. A decade later, I was a leader on the board of AFSP’s Chapter of the Year, helping the next volunteer navigate that same thought.
I still experience guilt, both for being alive, and for ever having thoughts about not wanting to be alive. There is pain in seeing loved ones struggle, or facing loss. I believe people deserve a supportive system that meets their needs. AFSP’s research and advocacy, which the Walks help make possible, are a part of that path.
I have learned that so much hope comes from intention and connection. I used to find hope to be this intangible thing that is built for others; and while this can still be a challenge for me, I think about the first Overnight Walk after my loss. I remember the person who hugged me simply because we were humans healing, trying to walk through our grief.
Somewhere right now, there is a 14-year-old who cares a lot about things: sometimes too much. They look at these big problems in the world and question what their role is. They deserve to be bolstered, and I am deeply grateful to those who did that for me in saying, “Come to the Walk,” and all the phases of my involvement that followed.
There is something incredibly raw in seeing people show up to walk, heal, process, remember, mourn, hope and, perhaps above all, connect. I remember the girl I was, who had no idea the Walk she was going on would lead to such a future.”