Annual 5k promotes awareness, raises money for mental health
Scores of people took to the streets of Vermillion Saturday morning to help raise awareness about mental health.
The Nikki’s Fund 5k run/walk is an annual event that promotes suicide prevention and awareness. The run is held in honor of Nikki Harris, who passed away 11 years ago from suicide. Janine Harris, Nikki’s mother and a former USD media and journalism professor, started the run named for her daughter in 2006.
Lost & Found, the group that was in charge of the event this year, is a student organization that connects people who have had thoughts of suicide with resources to help them. This was the first year that the group organized Nikki’s Run.
“It brings people together who have been affected by (suicide),” said Anna Bonnstetter, a first-year member of Lost & Found. “It brings awareness to people so that it doesn’t happen.”
Even the USD women’s basketball team showed up at the event to express their support.
“It’s a great team bonding thing, where we are giving back to the community because the community has given so much to us,” said Bridget Arens, a senior on the team. “It’s a great thing to raise awareness in the community. We are happy to be here. It’s a great opportunity.”
There are a number of suicide prevention measures in place for USD students and faculty. The Cook House, located off the southern edge of campus, is home to the Student Counseling Center, which serves USD students struggling with mental health problems. Lost & Found connects students with resources, like those at the Cook House, to prevent suicide. There are also several national help lines and hotlines that can be called if someone is in need of immediate assistance.
Nikki’s Fund helps the Student Counseling Center pay for medication and services for USD students. Nikki’s Fund has raised thousands of dollars in the past 11 years.
“Everybody that participates is a great help to the cause that the foundation was started for,” said Chris Vallie, Nicole Harris’s brother. “As far as helping with medication for kids at the USD campus.”
Some of the money from Nikki’s Fund was spent to train Question Persuade Respond (QPR) gatekeepers according to Michele Turner, the prevention coordinator at the Student Counseling Center. The QPR gatekeepers can find help for someone at risk of committing suicide, and are trained to recognize when someone is at risk.
“We have about eight qualified trainers. We spent some of Nikki’s Fund to train these individuals, and we go out and we teach others,” Turner said. “We are offering several workshops on campus this fall semester. I am helping the Police Department with their training. It’s not just on campus, it’s in the community. We are trying to get the word out that this is something that you can offer your staff.”
Students who need help with mental health issues are encouraged seek it through Lost and Found, or at USD’s Student Counseling Center, located in the Cook House on the Southern edge of campus.
Lost and Found: https://apps.usd.edu/campus/student-organizations/orgDetails.cfm?orgID=361
Student Counseling Center: http://www.usd.edu/student-life/scc/contact-us
National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
