(Rockwall) September 13, 2013 – The 1st Annual Hanna 4 Hope Color Splash 5k Run/Walk will be Saturday, September 14 at Squabble Creek Trail,2201 N. Lakeshore Drive in Rockwall. Hundreds of community members, classmates, friends and family are expected to participate in memory of Rockwall High School freshman Hanna Clark, who took her own life on April 25, 2013.
Event registration is underway at Hanna4Hope.com. The Run/Walk will begin at 9 a.m., with walk-up registration taking place from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Parking will be available at Grace Hartman Elementary,1325 Petaluma Drive (across from Squabble Creek).
“We are asking for the community’s support as we launch this inaugural event, which will include a morning of running/walking, live music, a balloon drop, and testimony from Hanna’s parents, Tim and Raina Clark,” said event director, Brandi Patterson. “We hope everyone will join us in the endeavor to prevent teen suicide through awareness and education and be a part of Hanna 4 Hope’s mission.”
Guest speaker Missy Wall, Director of Teen CONTACT, will address the crowd to raise awareness about teen suicide, and to offer helpful information and resources. Teen CONTACT offers a free 24-hour help line, staffed by trained volunteers who can respond to the concerns of teens in the midst of a crisis or conflict in a confidential, nonjudgmental manner.
Hanna 4 Hope is the nonprofit organization founded in Hanna’s name. The 15-year-old volleyball player wore the number “4” on her jersey, which is reflected in the foundation’s logo. The Hanna 4 Hope 5k Run/Walk coincides with National Suicide Prevention Week (Sept. 8-14) and falls just two days before Hanna’s 16th birthday.
“We were a normal family just like everyone else. Hanna was beautiful, quiet, innocent and goofy,” said Raina, pointing out that her daughter still believed in Santa Claus. “She could light up a room with her contagious laughter. She was caring, kind and trustworthy. Hanna just had a bad day one day, and she made an impulse decision that has turned our family upside down.”
Through faith in Jesus Christ and the Hanna 4 Hope foundation, the family is determined to carry Hanna’s legacy on and help save lives through education and awareness.
“If there’s one thing we want people to realize is that if this tragedy can happen to our family, it can happen to any family,” Raina said. “We will survive through this, because in the big picture of life we know that one day we will get to hold our sweet daughter again.”
At Hanna4Hope.com, Hanna’s father writes, “Hanna’s favorite verse in the Bible was Philippians 4:13 which is ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ We apply this verse to our lives every day, just as Hanna would want us to do.”
To learn more, visit Hanna4Hope.com, or visit TeenContact.org.
By Dawn Redig, Blue Ribbon News, all rights reserved.
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