Seeing Danielle Marshman Williamson walking in and around Oxford has become a regular occurrence for members of the community where the Hoppie’s owner grew up. Those frequent walks – which have been steadily increasing in length over the last few months – aren’t part of some new workout routine, however. No, Danielle’s goal is a little loftier than just getting in shape. Each step she takes is aimed at raising awareness – and money – for suicide prevention.

You see, two months from now, Danielle will be participating in an 18-mile fundraising walk in Boston called the Out of the Darkness Overnight. The event, which is sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, will raise money for suicide prevention and to provide services and support for survivors of suicide loss.

“Survivors of suicide loss” is the term used to describe people who have lost a loved one to suicide.

I think you’ll agree that 18 miles isn’t exactly a walk in the park. So Danielle has been steadily building up her endurance. When she first went into training, she said two miles was a stretch for her. Now, that’s nothing. Last weekend she did her longest walk to date: a whopping eight miles from her Village of Oxford Ice Cream Parlor down East River Road (past the farm she grew up on) to around the Oxford Bridge Road and back.