ADA, OH (WLIO) - September is Suicide Awareness Month, so members of the ONU community took time Thursday night to shine a light on the issue.
Around 200 people, both students and Ada residents, came out to Ohio Northern University's 2nd annual Glow 5k. Money raised from registration fees will be put towards campus programming to support the mental health needs of the student body. Local non-profits and student-led organizations also set up tables to share information about resources and programs available both on and off campus. Those involved with the 5k hope to show people who are struggling that they aren't alone.
"I hope they take away that there's hope. There is hope for whatever you're struggling with, whatever you're going through. There are people here, people around the world that are here to support you and here to be with you and help you get through those difficult times," said Thomas Frost, the student affairs coordinator at Ohio Northern.
"I think it's really showing that we support each other. We are a community, we are a family, and families stick together. I hope they can get the help that they deserve because everyone is a person. They all deserve respect, and they all deserve to be loved," said Julia Derrer, an ONU freshman running in the 5k.
ONU has also begun offering no-appointment-needed Walk-in Wednesdays at their counseling center this fall for any student that needs to talk.
