MIAMI SHORES, FLA. (WSVN) - Runners laced up their sneakers and headed to Miami Shores to race in the name of mental health, as they paid tribute to a teenage girl who tragically lost her life.
Participants from all walks gathered at Constitution Park on Sunday morning to celebrate Kennedy Bailey, who took her own life last year.
“It means so much to so many people that I think – in our generation, we didn’t talk about mental health ,” said family friend and organizer Bailey Brooks Mashburn. “Mental health wasn’t even a term that was ever used.”
The event was spearheaded by Bailey’s best friend, Sienna Alvarez-Coia, in a heartwarming display of love and support.
Organizers said the inaugural Kennedy Kids Foundation 5K race was a major success.
“I think it really shows how strong our community is, and how much camaraderie you have to all come together, and I’m so glad,” said Alvarez-Coia. “It’s such an important cause, and just to educate people and let them know how amazing a person [Kennedy] is and how now all her dreams are coming true.”
Kennedy’s father, Robert Bailey, is a former NFL player turned sports agent for Rosenhaus Sports. He has also been instrumental in raising awareness for mental health struggles and the importance of seeking help.
“It just says a lot about how many people in the community are affected by mental health,” he said. “This is the weekend my daughter went to heaven, and so, every year we’re going to do it on this weekend, and hopefully it’s going to be bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger, and we’re going to save as many teens as we possibly can and help families.”
When asked what Kennedy would have said to her about organizing this 5K, Alvarez-Coia replied, “I think she would just say ‘thank you’ and that she can’t believe it, and honestly, this is all for Kennedy, like, I don’t think anyone would have believed – like, it just shows how much of an impact she’s made on everyone and how strong her memory is. I think she’d just be amazed at how many people showed up and the difference that she’s making now.”
For more information about Kennedy Kids, click here.
If you, or someone you know is struggling, help is available on the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. You can also contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness at NAMI.org.
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