The inaugural Your Life Matters 5K run saw hundreds of people turn out to Knoxville High School on Saturday morning, backing the effort to educate teens and the public about preventing suicide.
Over 400 participants registered for the run or the 1K walk; the race route took them through Graceland Cemetery, with a special display dedicated to the memory of those lost to suicide.
A large number of teenage and pre-teen runners were on hand, and Scott Karr tells KNIA/KRLS News that’s exactly the audience Your Life Matters wants to reach.
“From looking at it, there’s a lot of young kids here; which is who we are mainly going after, to let them know that suicide is not the answer and that their life matters,” Karr says.
Some of the runners wore T-shirts or signs dedicating their participation to the memory of a lost loved one. Shelly Braley says many of those taking part — including herself — do so because they have a personal connection to a suicide victim.
“I lost a daughter in 2010, October 6th, to suicide. It was a very, very…kick in the gut; we didn’t have any idea it was gonna happen, and I want to do something for it,” Braley says.
The KNIA/KRLS Lil’ Big Red Radio was on hand for the event, playing music and making announcements to the crowd.