KINGSTON, R.I. — Oct. 11, 2022 — Continuing the University of Rhode Island’s longstanding commitment to community events that promote and support mental health awareness, it will hold its 14th edition of the Be 5K Walk/Run for Mental Health Awareness and Suicide Prevention event Sunday, Oct. 23, at 10 a.m.

The event on the Kingston Campus’ 5K course is open to the general public. Participants may register in advance or at 8:30, the morning of the race/walk. The cost for students, those in the military or veterans, and senior citizens is $15. The registration fee for the general public is $20.

In 2020, the fundraiser was held virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But for the second consecutive year, hundreds of participants will return to the campus Quadrangle to show support for those affected by suicide and mental health issues, create awareness of the issue and raise funds for campus mental health programs for students. It is the oldest community outreach event on campus dedicated to mental health promotion and suicide prevention.

Since its inception, the Be 5K has been organized and supported by dedicated members of URI’s Center for Career & Experiential Education and committed student volunteers, but now the URI Counseling Center is overseeing the program.

“We are honored and pleased to be leading this effort and are grateful to the members of the Center for Career & Experiential Education, who founded this program and kept it thriving particularly during the stressful times of the pandemic,” said Catherine Calise, a licensed clinical social worker in the URI Counseling Center.

“Mental health and suicide prevention are critical issues for our students and community, and that has been especially true during these past few years,” Calise said. “Those who have participated in the Be 5K in the past know that it is an uplifting, powerful and supportive event,” Calise said.

Since its founding, the race and walk has attracted URI students, faculty and staff and families from around Rhode Island and elsewhere. Similar to past events, participants will receive commemorative T-shirts, and music will pump up those lacing up for their run or walk.

“We extend a warm welcome to our students, faculty and staff and to those around the region who would like to support this cause and be part of our supportive URI community,” Calise said.

Proceeds raised by the event go to the Heather Fund, a URI Foundation & Alumni Engagement fund established to support mental health programs for students. As in past years, URI student groups focused on mental health promotion will participate, as well as those from URI’s  Counseling Center, Health Services, URI Couple and Family Therapy Clinic, Campus Recreation, Center for Career and Experiential Education, and the Psychological Consultation Center. BH Link, a behavioral health facility that provides immediate assistance to a person in crisis through intervention services, and connecting people to ongoing treatment and care, will also participate.

The Heather Fund was established by the late Roger and Josephine Vennewald in 1996, on behalf of their daughter, Heather, a URI student, who they lost to suicide. For many years, the Vennewalds and their family members participated and were buoyed by the smiles and friendly greetings of URI community members.

The event is called the Be 5K because it urges participants and the URI community to be compassionate, loving, hopeful, aware, present, happy and to be themselves to build a healthier community.

The event highlights an important issue for university communities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health said that suicide is among the leading causes of death in the nation and that the problem has become even more critical during the pandemic. It is the second leading cause of death among university students. Mental health conditions are often seen as the cause of suicide, but the CDC adds that many people who die by suicide are not known to have a diagnosed mental health condition at the time of death. Other problems often contribute to suicide, such as those related to relationships, substance use, physical health, and job, money, legal, or housing stress.

Earlier in the week URI holds Fresh Check Day

In fall 2016, URI began participating in Fresh Check Day, a program of the Jordan Porco Foundation. This year Fresh Check Day will be held Wednesday, Oct. 19, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.  It is an uplifting mental health promotion and suicide prevention event for students that includes interactive booths, peer-to-peer messaging, support of multiple campus departments and groups, free food, entertainment and exciting prizes and giveaways. This event is also offered, supported by the Heather Fund.

“We are very pleased to offer these powerful and positive mental health events to our students, the URI community at large and we look forward to seeing our neighbors at the Be 5K,” said Cory Clark, director of the URI Counseling Center. “These events have been helpful to hundreds of participants over the years.”