Help Center hosts seventh annual Run For Your Life event

Zombies, mummies and monsters running through the streets around campus may seem frightening to wake up to on the Saturday before Halloween. However, it has become an annual event in Bozeman for the last seven years. The biggest thing separating this host of monsters from the one you see in horror films is that they are running to save lives.

The Run For Your Life event is a Halloween-themed 5K and kid’s fun run put on by the Help Center in Bozeman to raise awareness for mental health. The donations collected go toward the Help Center’s suicide prevention and intervention services. These services include a 24-hour crisis, suicide and resource hotline where people can seek out resources to improve their mental health, be referred to a therapist or call when they are in crisis. Dogs and costumes are welcomed every year with contests and prizes for the best dressed. This year about 1,100 people signed up prior to the event and raised $21,200 from donations as of Wednesday, Nov. 3. The run also remembers those who have been lost to mental illness.

The Help Center responds to calls from 13 counties in Southwest Montana and has been serving the community for 50 years. Mental health services can be challenging to access in the more rural parts of the state and reaching a qualified counselor can be time-consuming and challenging. Innovations in telehealth have sought to close the gaps in accessibility that rural areas experience, and mental health hotlines offer options to find a therapist or another provider. These free services need funds to operate, and with the $20,000 dollars the Help Center will be able to assist people in crisis all over southwest Montana for another year on mostly donations.

Halloween in Bozeman isn’t complete without seeing running monsters on the south side of town, and the turnout of 1,100 people is sure to save lives in the Bozeman area and help the staff and volunteers at the Help Center. After the event on Saturday, the Help Center posted on its Facebook “you all showed up for us and your community! Let’s keep the conversation about suicide prevention and mental health awareness going!” This run brings the community together in the name of fundraising and ending the stigma around mental illness. If you weren’t able to attend this outing, there are other ways to become involved. Interested individuals can check the Help Center’s websitehttps://www.bozemanhelpcenter.org/to check for volunteer opportunities or donate.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, call the Help Center’s 24-hour crisis line at (406) 586-3333.