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The second annual Run for Tomorrow 5K drew 140 registered participants to Arkansas State University-Mountain Home on Saturday and raised close to $10,000 for suicide prevention in Baxter County, organizer Summer Sasser said.
“I don’t have the final numbers yet, because not all the money has come through yet,” Sasser said Monday. “But I think we’re somewhere in the ballpark of about ten thousand.”
Last year’s inaugural race drew 206 runners and walkers and raised more than $15,000.
“Saturday’s race went really well,” Sasser said. “It was really just another great turnout. There was so many people who came out to support and walk and run.”
The fastest runner finished in about 20 minutes, she said. “He was booking it.”
Sasser started the race after losing her fiance, Christopher Albertson, the father of her two oldest children, to suicide in 2018. She said the message this year was the same one organizers tried to get across at the first race.
“I truly believe that we, as humans, are held to tell our story in a way that benefits others, even if it’s tough,” she said.
Life keeps moving forward, Sasser said, but certain moments still bring the grief back.
“Grief doesn’t just disappear,” she said. “You learn to carry it.”
She told the crowd Saturday morning that the run was for the people the community has lost, but not only for them.
“We’re wanting to remember them, but we’re also running for the people who are still here,” she said. “And for the people who need help, and for the families who are still learning how to live with a loss. And for people who need to know that asking for help is not a weakness.”
Local groups set up alongside the race to hand out resources. The PAYS Coalition, a youth substance abuse prevention group serving Baxter and Marion counties, was “passing out information on what to do if you’re struggling,” Sasser said, and had Narcan available. Kingdom Life Recovery set up a tent and shared information about its programs.
“I loved how our community came together, and how we are able to open up and talk freely about mental health,” Sasser said. “I really just hope that people keep checking in on your people.”
Money from last year’s race paid for postvention work in the county, including resource packages for families who have lost a loved one to suicide and a response team that reaches out to those families after the coroner’s office is notified of a death. Sasser, Jamie Leach of Baxter Health and chaplain Randy Ludwig serve on that team.
Mike Stockton of Ascend Wealth Management, Sasser’s employer, has covered race costs since the first year so registration fees go to the cause. Proceeds flow through the Baxter Health Foundation.
Saturday evening, Dennis Gillan of the Half a Sorrow Foundation spoke at the Vada Sheid Community Development Center in a free talk hosted by Baxter Health. “I thought it was really good,” Sasser said.
Sasser said she hopes the race keeps going for as long as organizers can hold it.
“My hope is, through this race, for however many years we continue to do it, is that it brings awareness,” she said. “And through Chris’s memory, we can touch lives and make a difference.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, a free service available 24 hours a day. Veterans can reach the Veterans Crisis Line by dialing 988 and pressing 1, or by texting 838255.
