Be the Light - Glow in the Dark 5K for Mental Health Awareness

Join us for this awesome Glow in the Dark 5K! Invest in your own mental and physical health by completing a 5K, learn and spread mental health awareness, and support Beacon of Hope! Beacon of Hope is a non-profit counseling agency, which provides barrier free counseling at no-cost. Our hope is to raise $20,000 dollars, providing more than 600 individual counseling sessions. So go ahead and hit the signup button in the top right corner to register for the race. Then come back to the home page and hit the donate button in the top right corner to help an individual or family get the counseling they need. Why donate and help others: There’s so much stigma around mental health, stigma that’s literally deadly. According to the health department, suicide rates in Michigan have increased 150% in the past 10 years, and suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death of people aged 10-34 in the US. That’s right, this isn’t just something adults struggle with. In Ottawa county, 1 in 5 teens have seriously considered taking their lives, and ⅔ of those were less than 16 years old. And that doesn’t even take into account lives lost due to eating disorders, substance abuse, or domestic violence. All of those deaths could have been prevented. According to the National Alliance of Mental Health,1 in 5 adults struggle with mental health in some way, yet less than half seek help due to stigma, cost, or other barriers. PLEASE help bring awareness to mental health by supporting this amazing Be the Light 5K race and Beacon of Hope!