Utah
Runners joining forces to raise funds for Salem Hills High mental health programs
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SALEM, Utah County — On Saturday, runners from around the state will join forces at Salem Hills High School to raise funds to provide mental health programs in local schools.
The event is called “Run for Mental Health,” and according to organizer and local mental health advocate Jorge Garcia, the goal is not only to raise funds, but to also send a message to students that there is help available.
“We did this event in 2019 to bring the community together and help secure resources because many kids just don’t know that there is help,” Garcia said. “Things were put on hold during the pandemic, but we have felt the need to start it up again due to some tragedies in our local community.”
According to Garcia, several local students have died by suicide, including the son of one of his good friends who died this past February. Even though recent statistics now show Utah’s suicide rates decreasing, the rates are still high enough in children and teens for Gov. Spencer Cox to declare May 1 “Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day.”
And while suicide rates are not available yet for 2022 or 2023, the Utah Department of Heath and Human Services found that in 2020, suicide was the leading cause of death for Utahns ages 10 to 17 and 18 to 24.
Additionally, that same study showed that in 2021, 41.5% of Utah high school students reported feeling sad or hopeless, 22.5% seriously considered attempting suicide, 18% made a suicide plan, 9% attempted suicide one or more times, and 2.7% had a suicide attempt that required medical attention.
It is these statistics and his personal connection to teen suicide loss that has caused Garcia to team up with the city of Salem and many other local organizations for the Run for Mental Health event to put funding into Salem Hills High School specifically.
“The school has created a list of needs, and our goal is to raise $10,000 for mental health programs. Anything above that, we are going to put in a fund in the city to distribute to the rest of the schools in the community,” Garcia explained.
The event will begin at 10 a.m. and go until 2 p.m., and runners are encouraged to complete as many laps as they can during that time. Participants can register as individuals or a team at $10 per person or $25 per three-person team. There is also an option for donations to be made directly to the cause.
More information can be found on the Run For Mental health Instagram page @run.4mh.