Et cetera : For Our Dads: Daisy Johson and her UNI roommate to participate in 'Out of Darkness Walk', April 14

Last year, as a freshman at UNI, Daisy Johnson joined the "Out of the Darkness Walk" to raise money for suicide prevention. She set a goal of $500, but ended up raising nearly $2,000. This year, Daisy plans to participate in the event again, but this time she will have a new partner: Her roommate, Whitnee. "As a member of Vinton-Shellsburg community, I know we have lost so many special and important people to suicide, including my dad in the year of 2014," Daisy wrote on her fund-raising page. "Many of us have experienced the pain of losing a loved one or friend to suicide. It is a life changing event that causes heartbreak every day that passes. Please join me in donating to this amazing cause that helps so many people over come their battles. All donations benefit the American Foundation for SuicidePrevention (AFSP), funding research, education, advocacy, and support for those affected by suicide. I need all your help in donating towards this cause." On their "For our Dads" page, Daisy and Whitnee write about how they met as roommates last year, and how they discovered the many things they have in common, including losing their fathers to suicide. "That is something neither one of us expected to have in common," write Daisy and Whitnee. "With both of us going through something so heartbreaking, we can pick each other up on our hardest days. We can feel each other's pain, because we have the same pains. We are the one friend to each other that knows what the other one is going through, and that is a bond that no other friend can provide." The Out of Darkness Walk takes place on April. 14. For for information, or to donate, click HERE.