Moto Crew Event Volunteers Needed

My name is Joe Polizzi and I am the Crew Coordinator for this year’s Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk, which is returning to San Francisco on June 9th-10th, 2012.
The Out of the Darkness Overnight, organized by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, is a 16-18-mile journey through the night, from dusk until dawn. It's a unique opportunity to bring the issues of depression and suicide into the light as thousands of participants walk together to turn heartbreak into hope for tomorrow. Every step they take and dollar raised for the event will help AFSP continue to develop research and educational programs that will benefit those affected by mood disorders and suicide.

We are in need of volunteers with motorcycles to be a part of the Crew who support Walkers along the Route. Motorcycle Safety is tasked with assisting at difficult intersections and alerting Walkers to dangerous situations. While it’s only January, I am working full time to assemble an all-star Crew comprised of community members willing to volunteer their time to the event. I am seeking opportunities to meet with local motorcycle clubs to discuss the event and register interested members.

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----- Forwarded Message -----From: Joe Polizzi <[email protected]>

Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 9:29 PM

Subject: RE: [President] 2012 AFSP Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk

Hi Tyler,

The meeting this Saturday, January 21 is set for 12:30pm at the Sports Basement Sunnyvale location (1177 Kern Avenue Sunnyvale, CA). Any questions, please contact me at (415) 926-7778.

I look forward to meeting you and any others that can attend.

Joe

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dcarver said:

What does the motocrew do?

Moto around?

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dcarver said:

What does the motocrew do?

Moto around?

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El Toro Joe said:

dcarver said:

What does the motocrew do?

Moto around?

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"Motorcycle Safety is tasked with assisting at difficult intersections and alerting Walkers to dangerous situations"

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My name is Tyler Risk. I am 52 years young, the mother of an amazing young woman, and the survivor of a near fatal motorcycle accident in June 2009 when I was run over by a semi. After surviving something I really shouldn't have, I've questioned why I have been given the gift of a second chance and am still here to tell the tale. I've questioned what is my purpose? Why am I still here? What am I supposed to be doing? And this event, The Overnight, has come back as one of the answers to my questions. A purpose. To give back to others. To reach out to others and share the light that I have been blessed to receive. I have been on that dark side but I am still here to say that there is a better time no matter what you may think.
I am also the founder and President of a women's motorcycling group called Dangerous Curves. In January of this year, I received an email from Joe Polizzi, the Crew Coordinator, looking for volunteers for the event's Motorcycle Safety Crew Team. I looked at the website, watched the video, and realized that this was one of those chances to reach out. Reach out to whoever may be out there because we really don't know how sometimes, the smallest gift of smile, an ear, or a caring shoulder can make a huge difference in another person's life. In my journey, I have felt that gift given to me... and I hope to pass that gift on. We each have the power to do that.

The issues at hand strike a chord with me for some very personal reasons. I've known two fellow riders who have ended their lives by self-inflicted motorcycle accidents, leaving questions and regrets and guilt behind it the event's wake... so many people who wished that they could have seen or known that there was a problem and stopped them from doing it. And the emptiness of the loss of that friend, lover, comrade and the enormously loud silence that followed. It did open up a great deal of dialog within the motorcycle community and I was surprised to find out that many people that I knew fairly well struggled with depression and darkness every day. And it helped me to to understand what their battles were like and brought the topic into the open for discussion not like it was some dark secret that no one speaks of.

And then a year ago, all of this struck even closer to home when a close family member attempted suicide... he was only 15 years old... thankfully it was an unsuccessful attempt. But this brought to light that he was suffering from mental illness and was trying to escape the mental pain he was going through every day... and I had no idea. I was a bit shell shocked when I found out because from the outside view, there was nothing wrong with him so the signs of the internal struggles were masked and missed by friends and family. I felt so sad that he had come to the conclusion that that was an answer to his problems. Every day is a challenge with depression, instability, and struggles which many can't understand because there is nothing physically wrong with him. People that look at him from the outside say, so what is the problem? You're just being silly or dramatic or you shouldn't feel like that. Suck it up and get over it, right? But those who understand know it is not that easy when we fight our battles and carry our scars on the inside. It's like they are invisible and oft times dismissed as not important or miniscule when they are definitely not. Mental illness is no one's fault... it isn't a choice... it is a disorder of the brain and those who suffer from it, deserve to be treated as anyone else who has any other disorder that might be more obvious to the naked eye.

I am here to support The Overnight for my family and friends who deal with these issues every day. I am here to help pass on the message that mental illness needs to be addressed and treated as any other illness and not hidden from view because of social stigma. I am here for those who champion beside the people that they love with mental illness every day. I want them, and others like them, to know that they are not alone, that there are others who want to help, and that there is light at the end of that tunnel. I am here to say if you feel depressed, hopeless, powerless, to reach out to a friend or family member or an organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Bringchange2mind.org, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to get help. And if someone comes to you and asks for help, give it and don't dismiss it. It's okay to do that and there is help, there is hope, there is light.

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