A team walking in the AFSP Out of the Darkness Walk · Sept 26, 2026

Walk somebody
back to the light.

I’m Shaina. The Empathy Equation is my team in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Out of the Darkness Walk, and I want you on it. Walk with me in Houston or from anywhere on earth, and help fund the research, resources, and policy that keep people here.

Join The Empathy Equation I’m far away →

Free to join. No fundraising minimum. In person and virtual count exactly the same.

Need support right now? 988
Two ways to walk · one team

In Houston or from anywhere.

It’s all the same to us and to the cause. Same team page, same fundraising power, same impact. Pick the one that fits your life.

In person · Houston

Walk beside us

Town Green Park, The Woodlands, Saturday morning, September 26. Honor beads, the opening ceremony, and a few thousand people proving nobody walks alone.

Join & walk in person
Virtual · Anywhere

Walk from where you are

Your block, your treadmill, your city, your porch. Register to the team from anywhere, share your page, and raise every dollar an in-person walker can.

Join & walk virtually

Every dollar, both ways, goes straight to AFSP’s research, education, support, and advocacy.

Donor thank-you gifts

Do good. Get good things.

No raffles, no odds, no fine print gymnastics. Hit a giving tier and that gift is yours, guaranteed. Your donations to our team stack all season, and every gift comes from me personally, as a thank you.

Give $25+
Tier one

A digital delight

A small digital thank-you made by me, think a custom wallpaper set or a mini guide worth keeping.

Give $75+
Tier two

An official team shirt

The official Empathy Equation shirt, guaranteed. Wear it on walk day and everywhere after.

Give $150+
Tier three

A custom AI song

Written and produced for whoever you love, from an anniversary anthem to a birthday ballad. You pick the story, I make the song.

Give $500+
Tier four

AirPods

Cross $500 in giving to our team and a fresh pair of AirPods is my personal thank-you. Guaranteed, not raffled.

Give $1,500+
Top tier

A custom app or website, built for you

I build software for a living. Reach this tier and I will build your idea, your brand, your thing, a full custom build genuinely worth thousands.

1

Give on our official AFSP team page, any amount, any time. Your donations stack across the whole season.

2

Hit a tier, earn that gift. Guaranteed. Every single donor who reaches it gets it. No drawings, no odds, no luck involved.

3

I deliver personally. Digital gifts within a few days, everything else as soon as it arrives. I’ll reach out through your donation info.

Give & claim your tier

Thank-you gifts come from me, the team captain, personally, never from AFSP, and 100% of your donation goes directly to AFSP through our official team page. Tiers count your cumulative giving to The Empathy Equation during the 2026 walk season. Questions? afspgreaterhtx@shainabushnell.com

Where the money goes

Real dollars. Real prevention.

Everything our team raises goes to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and it works on four fronts at once.

100%of your gift
reaches AFSP
$30M+
into research, the science of what saves lives
290K+
people trained to spot the signs (education)
Free
support pairing loss survivors with survivors
988
the crisis lifeline AFSP fought to build (advocacy)

Access to help shouldn’t depend on your zip code or your paycheck. That’s why we raise.

Walkers at the Out of the Darkness Walk wearing honor beads, walking together
This is what showing up looks like
My why

I’ve been where the dark is. I walk so no one stays there.

Nine years ago I started volunteering with AFSP because suicide isn’t abstract to me. I’m a survivor of my own attempt, and I know exactly how loud loneliness can get when you think nobody would notice you missing.

Here’s what I know: some resources should be available to every single person, and there’s power in numbers. That’s where we come in. The Empathy Equation. We work hard, share resources, and raise money for research, advocacy, and policy. That’s the equation at work, because Empathy + Action = Hope.

I’m asking you, personally: walk with me, whether in person or virtually.

Sat, Sept 26
Walk day 2026
Town Green Park
The Woodlands, TX
9:00 AM
Check-in opens
Shaina Bushnell
Shaina Bushnell
Team Captain · Survivor · Advocate
The team shirt photo coming soon
Wear the team

Raise $75, and the shirt is yours.

Everyone who raises $75 or more for The Empathy Equation gets an official team shirt, my personal thank-you for being part of this. Wear it on walk day, wear it to the grocery store, start the conversation everywhere you go.

Guaranteed at $75 raised, no drawing, no luck
In person or virtual, everyone qualifies the same
A walking reminder that hope is worth talking about
Raise $75 & claim yours
Before you say yes

Quick answers.

The stuff everyone asks me before they join. Still curious about something? Email me, I answer.

Does it cost anything to join?+
No. Registration is completely free and there’s no fundraising minimum. You can join, walk, and never raise a dime, though I’ll lovingly nudge you toward at least sharing your page once.
I don’t live in Houston. Can I still join?+
Yes, and you won’t be a second-class teammate. Virtual walkers register to the same team, fundraise the same way, and count the same. Walk your own neighborhood on walk day and tag us.
Where does the money actually go?+
Every donation goes directly to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention through our official team page, never through me. AFSP funds research, free education programs, loss-survivor support, and advocacy.
How do the donor thank-you gifts work?+
Your donations to our team stack all season, and when you cross a tier ($25, $75, $150, $500, or $1,500) that gift is guaranteed yours, no drawings involved. Gifts are my personal thank-you, separate from AFSP, and your entire donation still goes to AFSP.
Is this an official AFSP page?+
This page is mine, a team captain recruiting her team. All registrations and donations happen on the official AFSP walk site, which is where every button here sends you.
You are not alone

If you need support right now.

Whether it’s you or someone you love, help is free, confidential, and awake at every hour. Reaching out is strength, not weakness.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

Call or text 988

24/7 free, confidential support for anyone in distress. Disponible en español.

Crisis Text Line

Text HOME to 741741

A trained crisis counselor by text, 24/7, anywhere in the US.

Veterans Crisis Line

988, then press 1

Or text 838255. For veterans, service members, and their loved ones.

The Trevor Project

1-866-488-7386

Or text START to 678-678. For LGBTQ+ young people, 24/7.

SAMHSA Helpline

1-800-662-4357

Free treatment referral and information, English and Spanish, 24/7.

AFSP Resources

afsp.org/find-support

For loss survivors, people who struggle, and anyone helping someone they love.

In immediate danger? Call 911.

Somebody’s dawn starts with your yes.

Join me and The Empathy Equation, in Houston or from anywhere, and let’s make September 26 the day we showed up loud for the people still finding their way out.

Join The Empathy Equation

Free to join · In person or virtual · Guaranteed thank-you gifts at every giving tier