Gallery • 4 Photos

Courtesy of Nicole Raab

Members of the march walk along the streets of Harrisonburg

On Saturday, March 25, Eastern Mennonite University hosted a Walk for Hope. The goal of the walk is to raise awareness for mental health and suicide. Local colleges from around the valley including Blue Ridge Community College, Bridgewater College, Eastern Mennonite University and James Madison University were responsible for the organization of the event.

With the walk beginning at 12:00 p.m., students were encouraged to meet together with the HHS faculty and staff on the EMU turf field to show schoolwide support for the event. After the walk was completed, participants were invited to listen to keynote speaker David Romano and stick around for multiple other activities that raise awareness for mental health.

Junior Nicole Raab, a student from HHS, decided that she wanted to participate in the walk because she believes mental health awareness isn’t discussed as much as it should be.

“I heard about Walk for Hope last year, and I really regretted not going. Mental illnesses aren’t often discussed in HHS, and it can often be detrimental to students’ well being. As a school, we aren’t taking notice of each other or showing support for each other, and the silence and isolation throughout the school is something we as students and teachers need to work on,” Raab said in an interview over phone.

Although she believes the turnout from HHS wasn’t what it could be, she has high hopes for next year’s walk