Jones Beach walk aims to remember loved ones lost to suicide

One by one, Mindy Davidson approached strangers Sunday on the Jones Beach boardwalk and offered a gesture that held extra weight: A free hug.

Davidson, 65, of Bethpage, and nearly 3,000 others found community and support at the Long Island chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's annual Out of the Darkness walk, which organizers said had raised more than $561,000 as of about 10 a.m. People made donations to participating individuals and teams online .

Davidson, whose mother and father died by suicide 26 years apart, is a board member of the Long Island chapter.

"As much grief as they must be experiencing, just to be around other people who know what it feels like to lose someone who has died by suicide, must be very strengthening and supporting" Davidson said. "Yo