It was a Send Silence Packing Tour first! While on tour we’ve only done college programs and the occasional city display since day one, the Alive & Running 5k Walk/Run for Suicide Prevention was our first time at, well, a running race. While it may sound out of place, it was in fact an extremely related–and impactful–event. The race was sponsored by Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, and was part of the Health & Wellness Expo. This meant that throughout the race and awards ceremony, participants and spectators could find information on mental health, meander through the SSP backpack display set up on a grassy knoll, and try free samples of various foods and drinks, and more.

It was a different kind of event for Send Silence Packing. Here, many of the race participants had lost a loved one to suicide. There were cousins, mothers, sons, and friends who came out to walk, run, and support the cause. While Brandon and I usually educate at events, the hundreds of people who walked through and read the backpacks were already all too familiar with suicide statistics. We received many thanks for being there, but in fact we were the ones who felt lucky to interact with such a knowledgeable crowd. This time we were there for visual impact, and to share the stories of the backpacks.

Active Minds was honored to receive the Community Partnership award, presented to us by Todd Rubin (grandson of sponsor Nancy Rubin). We were also happy to see Cal State Long Beach representing at the race! CSULB employee Pam, ran the race wearing her SSP volunteer shirt, and Keishawn, the CSULB Active Minds President, participated in the race as well. We were so happy to see a number of the students and staff from our last display at the race, and truly appreciated Pam helping us set up in the early hours of the morning. Instead of just a few of us packing up all 1,100 backpacks and more, thanks to the race directors, we had about 40 young adult race volunteers help us pick up after the display finished, so cleanup was a breeze.

The Alive & Running 5k was surely a different kind of event, but we were quite happy to be there, share stories, and meet survivors and parents of several of our new story backpacks. To the Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services and Suicide Prevention Center: Thanks for having us, and perhaps we’ll see you again next year. Until then, keep up the amazing work!