Bluebird Run
The Bluebird Run for Brookie B. was established in 2015 to honor the memory of Brook Bowers and all the other loved ones our community has lost to suicide. Organized by the Tallahassee affiliate of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), our mission is to call out the need for suicide awareness and prevention as well as raise money for NAMI, so they can carry out this advocacy work.
The Cause
After Brook’s suicide, the Bowers family and several of Brook’s friends wondered if anyone out there really understood
their grief.
They wished there would have been someone who truly understood the depth of their loss. Someone they could talk to about how
great a person Brook was and who wouldn’t panic when they mentioned Brook’s name or the words, “suicide” or “mental illness.”
For those who have recently lost someone to suicide, it is invaluable to meet and speak with another person who has been through
a similar experience and who understands the kind of loneliness, pain, grief, anger, sadness, and guilt that is all too common
in the wake of a loved one’s suicide.
To help those who have experienced a loss by suicide, NAMI Tallahassee is reaching out to members of the community who have suffered a loss to suicide to help establish a suicide prevention and postvention response program. To help address the gap in survivor response and support in the Tallahassee and surrounding areas, please contact us at admin@namitallahassee.org.
Click here to learn more about the cause behind the Bluebird Run.
The Event
This is Brook’s home course. The trailhead venue is ideal for an event of this size. The 5K course is both beautiful and demanding. You will not set a personal record on this course, but you can take pride in conquering it. Your reward will be the welcome of hundreds of like-minded people at the finish line, along with fresh watermelon and the finest assortment of refreshments.
The Bluebird is a proud blend of athletic competition and social outreach – runners and walkers, young and old, vendors from many local mental health providers, and a special Memory Lane honoring our lost loved ones. JR Alford Greenway will come alive at dawn on Labor Day with party lights surrounding a 1600 square foot tent. Live music, fresh coffee, sno-cones, watermelon and much more – all free of charge. Bring your appetite for a grand assortment of refreshments.
And oh yeah, there will be races for runners and stellar scenery for walkers!
Click here to learn more about the event.
