Taking steps into the light

The current national focus on the potential risks and benefits of antidepressant medicines is raising Americans’ awareness of the dark reality faced by many children, teens and adults who grapple with depression and suicidal thoughts every day.

The Depression Center and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will host the “Out of the Darkness… Into the Light” walk Sept. 26 to raise money for efforts to prevent suicide and educate the public about depression and its link to suicide.

In addition to a 3.5-mile walk through Ann Arbor streets and the U-M campus, the event will feature speakers, information tables, face painting, free massages, live music, educational materials, and a “Why I Walked” message board that will let walkers express their reasons for participating.

Registration is 9 a.m. at Pioneer High School. The walk will begin at 10 a.m.

The cost will be $25 for adults, $10 for students. Children under 12 can walk free. Strollers and dogs on leashes are welcome. Walkers are encouraged to collect donations; prizes will be awarded to those who raise $150 or more.

Advance registration is available at http://www.depressioncenter.org. For more information or to volunteer, e-mail tlandry@afspaa.org.

Light a candle for cancer

The Comprehensive Cancer Center will host its annual candle-lighting ceremony at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 1 under the front entrance canopy, 1500 E. Medical Center Dr.

Participants will celebrate the lives of those lost to cancer, and they can light a candle to honor their memory. They also will follow the transitions of loss through music, readings and the storytelling of “Voices: A Cancer Journey.”

Participants are encouraged to bring small mementos and photographs to display in recognition of those who have lost their battle with cancer.

For more information or to have a name recognized, call (800) 742-2300, ext. 7880, or visit http://www.mcancer.org/events.

Writing about welfare reform

New York Times reporter Jason DeParle will speak about his book “American Dream: Three Women, Ten Kids, and a Nation’s Drive to End Welfare” at 7 p.m. Sept. 28 in the Rackham Amphitheatre.

Drawing on more than a decade of reporting, DeParle traces the stories of three welfare recipients back six generations and adds politicians, case workers, reformers and rogues to an exploration of America’s struggle with poverty and dependency.

Former President Bill Clinton vowed to “end welfare as we know it” in 1992. Four years later, Congress translated a catchy slogan into the 1996 Welfare Reform Act that sent 9 million women and children streaming from the welfare rolls.

U-M professors Sandra Danziger and Alford Young Jr. will comment on DeParle’s book; then the audience will ask questions. Professor Sheldon Danziger, National Poverty Center co-director, will moderate the event.

The event is sponsored by the National Poverty Center at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. For more information, call (734) 615-5312.

Zoom, zoom, Zaloom

Paul Zaloom, called “one of the most original and talented political satirists working in theater” by The New York Times, will deliver a lecture at 5 p.m. Sept. 23 in the Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty.

A performance artist and puppeteer, Zaloom has been awarded four National Endowment for the Arts grants, an OBIE, a BESSIE and an American Theater Wing design award. His lecture is part of the Penny W. Stamps Distinguished Visitors Series and is sponsored by the School of Art & Design.

For more information, call (734) 936-2082.

Who’s kidding whom?

C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital will host a candidate forum 5-7:30 p.m. Sept. 30 to help voters determine “who’s for kids and who’s just kidding” among area candidates running for the Michigan House of Representatives and the U.S. House of Representatives representing Washtenaw County.

The Candidates’ Forum on Children’s Issues is a non-partisan forum sponsored by C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and supported by 50 co-sponsoring community organizations. Lucy Ann Lance from WAAM Radio will serve as the moderator. Youth from Washtenaw County will ask questions of the candidates on a range of issues that impact children.

“Without question, a candidate’s vision for Michigan’s children is a priority in our community,” says Patricia Warner, associate director and chief administrative officer, C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. “As advocates for children, we want to know who is truly committed to making a positive difference for children. Information gained from this forum will help members of our community cast their votes come November.”

For more information, call (734) 615-5379. Registration information is available at http://www.med.umich.edu/mott/1about/abevents.htm#events.