The Laredo Suicide Prevention Committee’s annual “You’re Not Alone 988” 5K Run/1K Walk & Mental Health Wellness Fair has become more than a race. Organizers say the event serves as a way to promote mental health awareness, encourage conversations about suicide prevention and connect residents with community re
The event combines a 5K run, a 1K walk and a mental health wellness fair, bringing together local organizations that provide counseling, crisis intervention and other behavioral health services while encouraging residents to learn more about the support available in the community
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More than 200 participants took part in last year’s inaugural event, walking, jogging and running in support of suicide prevention and in memory of loved ones, friends, neighbors and others affected by suicide
Event chair Miguel Rangel said proceeds from the event help fund the committee’s mental health awareness and suicide prevention efforts throughout the year, including educational materials and outreach promoting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Rangel encouraged residents to regularly check in on loved ones and not be afraid to ask difficult questions
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“Keep checking in on them. You will not make them commit death by suicide if you ask them directly, ‘Are you OK?'” he said, adding that he still checks on his adult children. “It shows that you care and that you love, and Laredo is about love.”
Area Health Education Center Director Dr. Julie Bazan said the event is designed to be more than a race, serving as a mental health wellness fair where community agencies can connect residents with available services
“It’s not just gonna be a 5K run, 1K walk, it’s also gonna be a mental health awareness fair,” Bazan said. “We will have all the agencies in our community that provide those types of services be there so that people can network with them.”
District VI Councilmember Dr. Tyler King said the community has made progress in reducing the stigma surrounding mental health, though conversations about suicide remain difficult
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“We have the stigma, which I think over time has definitely gotten better across the country and the world,” King said. “I will say, you know, in Laredo, we are blessed to be a very family-oriented community. But at the same time, it’s difficult to talk about the real feelings of suicide.”
King said misconceptions about mental illness continue to prevent some people from seeking help or recognizing when loved ones may be struggling
“There’s this idea that depression is not real and anxiety is not real,” he said. “We’re fighting that stigma, but then when something bad happens and we lose someone, then we see, ‘OK, maybe I should have been there for them.'”
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King encouraged residents to check in on family members, friends and neighbors, even if they aren’t sure what to say
“The truth is, if you ask someone, they’re more likely to know that they’re loved, seen and heard,” he said. “You’re never going to say it perfectly. You’re never going to ask it the way you want to ask it, probably, but it’s fair to ask.”
District III Councilmember Melissa Cigarroa shared her own experience with mental health as a young mother, describing the emotional and physical toll of raising five young children with little sleep
“I remember being a young mother. I had five children, and they were a couple of years apart. It was a very busy, beautiful, loud household, but also one where the mom didn’t get a lot of sleep,” Cigarroa said. “The lack of sleep is one of the causes of being very stressed out and very anxious.”
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She recalled reaching a point where the exhaustion became overwhelming
“I remember waking up one morning just being so tired and disoriented and saying, ‘Well, you know what? If I just don’t move, will anybody even notice?'” she said
Although she described the feeling as fleeting, Cigarroa said it reminded her that mental health challenges can affect anyone, even those surrounded by family and support
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“Even the ones who seem to be the most surrounded, the most supported, can have weak times,” she said. “We all need to be reminded every day that we are loved. And if we don’t find that love from those next to us, we find that love in those we reach out to.”
Cigarroa encouraged residents to seek support in whatever way feels most accessible
“Whether that is calling 988, whether that is taking a walk, whether that is joining a 5K and finding a group of like-minded people who just want to be outdoors,” she said
Organizers say they hope participants leave with more than a race medal or a morning of exercise. Their goal is to remind the community that help is available, conversations about mental health matter and no one has to face a crisis alone
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The event is scheduled for Sept. 5 from 8-11 a.m. at North Central Park, 10202 International Blvd. Registration begins at 7 a.m. Pre-registration costs $25, while registration the day of the event is $30. The first 100 registered participants will receive an event T-shirt
For more information, call 956-712-0037 or scan the event’s registration QR code
