SHINEDOWN's BRENT SMITH And ZACH MYERS To Join Suicide Prevention Walk This Weekend

Brent Smith and Zach Myers from SHINEDOWN will join the DC101‘s One More Light walk team. More than 2,500 people from throughout the D.C. metro area are expected to participate in the 12th annual Washington, D.C. “Out Of The Darkness” community walk to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) on October 20 at the Lincoln Memorial.

The 2018 Washington, D.C. “Out Of The Darkness” community walk is one of more than 400 “Out Of The Darkness” community walks being held nationwide this year. These walks are expected to unite more than 250,000 walkers and raise millions for suicide prevention efforts. The 2017 Washington, D.C. “Out Of The Darkness” community walk hosted more than 2,000 participants and raised over $260,000. This event supports AFSP‘s local and national education and advocacy programs and its bold goal to reduce the annual rate of suicide 20 percent by 2025.

“People from all walks of life must be compassionate and understanding toward one another,” says Smith. “When we do that, we can help save lives. We will walk on Saturday to show our support for our fellow brothers and sisters, and show the entire world that we recognize that mental health is just as real as physical health.”

“These walks are about turning hope into action,” said AFSP CEO Robert Gebbia. “Suicide is a serious problem, but it’s a problem we can solve. The research has shown us how to fight suicide, and if we keep up the fight the science is only going to get better, our culture will get smarter about mental health, and we’ll be able to save more lives.”

SHINEDOWN‘s uplifting new single, “Get Up”, from the band’s latest album, “Attention Attention” (Atlantic Records), has been moving listeners around the globe with its offer of hope, empathy and encouragement in the face of personal struggles whatever they may be, especially with mental health issues. Offering a light in a time of darkness is something Smith is deeply connected to after battling his own personal demons, and “Get Up” was born out of watching his friend, SHINEDOWN bassist Eric Bass, deal with clinical depression. When Brent put pen to paper, a beautiful, universal song rooted in Brent and Eric‘s raw vulnerability took shape. Reaching far beyond any genre or label, “Get Up” speaks to the human spirit in a time of need, and it’s a song that has already resonated with the masses. Its message has drawn attention from the likes of Huffington Post, Salon, Rolling Stone, Buzzfeed, Parade, Grammy.com and more, with more than 15 million total streams.