Mental Health Awareness and Memorial Walk

Mental Health Awareness and Memorial Walk

This will be an in-person 1 Mile Walk held at Lehrter Park, Albers, IL. This is the 8th Annual fundraising walk in memory of Sydney Irizarry who lost her life to suicide in 2018. All proceeds will benefit the Swing for Sydney Foundation. Mental health problems are becoming more and more prevalent in our society. It is an issue that needs more funding, more attention, and more information provided to everyone. Mental health problems affect everyone no matter age, race, gender, religion, socio-economic status, single, married, intellect, rural or city dweller. In 2018, the world lost an amazing 18 year old woman, named Sydney Irizarry, to suicide. Her father, Andre, started the Swing For Sydney Foundation as a way to keep mental health issues at the forefront of people's minds and to hopefully prevent anyone else from feeling the overwhelming grief of losing a loved one to suicide. Since its inception, the foundation has provided money to several area schools for school supplies, meals, and other resources that children need, scholarships for students at Central High School, as well as organizations such as Lifesavers and Coping for Kids, Coping for Life. Swing For Sydney has worked with a local grief and counseling group to provide informative talks to parents, teachers, and students on the topics of mental health, drug use, and suicide prevention.