By: Samira Zarazua
OMAHA, Neb. — On Saturday, October 24th, The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention—AFSP—hosted its first annual Run for Hope event. Runners can apply to run or walk 5K or run 10K through Stinson Park near Aksarben Village. The foundation has a mission of wanting to help those who were affected by suicide and bring awareness to a mental health crisis that has affected the lives of different identities and age groups alike.
In recent findings, over 48 thousand lives were lost due to suicide with 2.2 million attempts nationwide in the U.S. For Nebraska, the CDC mentions how deaths by suicide increased by 56.8 percent (USAFacts, 2026). During previous functions and suicide prevention programs, AFSP has reached over 1.67 million people in diverse populations and settings like schools, communities, and systems (AFSP, 2026), with plans to reach more. During the event, beads were provided in different colors symbolizing who one may have lost to suicide, or how you support those affected.
Lexus Church, the Chair to Run for Hope, had a running partner, her father, who had passed away from suicide in 2022 along with her mother in 2024. Church volunteered with AFSP for a while before finally feeling strong enough to commit to large-scale events to hopefully make an annual function possible. As a therapist in training, she sees the benefits of having accessible healthcare for mental health, especially since it affects a variety of individuals.
“We don’t want people to feel not heard or not safe. . . We are reaching not only the people that are coming to services or coming to our events we need to need to reach people who aren’t showing up.”
Among the attendees of the event, Chad Duval helped form the Where There’s a Will foundation in honor of his son, William Duval who passed away from suicide. Duval wanted to help remove the stigma behind mental health to encourage youth to reach out for help and feel comfortable talking about their struggles to those close to them.
“We just want to be part of the community and help prevent this from happening again.”
If you or a loved one has been affected by suicide, or is going through a mental health crisis, you can call or text 988 or text TALK to 741741 for support. The AFSP website also has information to keep you informed, as well as ways you can help yourself or others.
