It usually takes new fundraising events at least a few years to get up to speed. But Tallahassee's very first Labor Day Bluebird Run and Walk for Brookie "B" attracted more people than organizers expected.
The 1-mile and 5-K walk/runs at the J.R. Alford Greenway brought out more than 300 people. The purpose was to raise money and mental health issue awareness, including suicide prevention. Runner Jim Russell from the FSU Police Department said he's connected to that both professionally and personally.
“In the past I’ve experienced suicidal ideation,” he admitted. “I was very fortunate to get help from somebody at FSU who opened my eyes.”
Also running was Apalachee Mental Health's Executive Director Jay Reeve.
“We still have a ways to go overcome a lot of the prejudice and the stigma that’s associated with these illnesses,” Reeve said. “So to see the kind of turnout we had here today, the way the people in this community support people who are in recovery, it’s very heartening.”
The event is named after Tallahassee's Brooke Bowers, better known as "Brookie B" who committed suicide in 2012 at the age of 31.
