On Friday, May 4, Naperville North High School will be hosting the second annual Shine On Sunset Run. Doors open at 6:15 p.m., and the run begins at 7:45. Students, parents and community members can join the fight for mental health awareness by participating in the 2-mile walk/run around the track.

Last year, NNHS freshmen in Jacquelyn Fabian’s World Cultures class created proposals for an advocacy project towards a global goal for their semester final project. Many ideas were pitched, but mental health awareness was the topic everyone decided to work on. Students handled the music, food, donations, and the different activities that were incorporated into the event.

“We decided what to name [the event] and as a class we all helped to organize the run,” Fabian said.

This year, students started meeting in November to plan for this event.

“Some people worked on the website, some worked on securing donations. Some even spoke to mental health professionals that will be there to provide information on mental health issues,” Fabian said.

Last year, the Shine On Sunset Run raised over $3,000 with around 150 runners, with the entire even coordinated in three weeks. Proceeds were split between Mental Health America of Illinois and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of DuPage. This year all proceeds will go directly towards NAMI.

Click here for more information on how to register.