TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – More than 1,000 people participated in the 11th annual Bluebird Run\/Walk at the J.R. Alfred Greenway Monday, raising awareness about mental health and suicide prevention.<\/p>\n
The event, hosted by NAMI Tallahassee, honors Brook Bowers, who died by suicide in 2012.<\/p>\n
Bowers\u2019 family was involved with NAMI and helped launch the annual event in 2015. The one-mile walk and 5K bring the community together to raise awareness and honor people who have died by suicide.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have several family members with mental health conditions and NAMI helped them, so this was a way to give back to NAMI,\u201d participant Cindy Foster said. <\/p>\n
Foster has been participating since the event kicked off 11 years ago. She added she comes back each year because she is all for the cause. <\/p>\n
Volunteer and former executive director of NAMI Tallahassee, Nancy O\u2019Farrell said suicide prevention starts with recognizing the signs and understanding the pain people may be experiencing.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir psychological pain has become so intense that you just can\u2019t live with it anymore, and it\u2019s really not wanting to die, it\u2019s wanting to stop the pain,\u201d O\u2019Farrell said. \u201cSo if we can educate people to be aware of the signs, suicide can be prevented.\u201d<\/p>\n
The event also included a mental health fair, where families could connect with resources for managing mental health and learn how to help others get the support they need.<\/p>\n
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