BOISE — The St. Luke's FitOne 5K, 10K, and half-marathon are arou\8nd the corner.
The event on Saturday, September 22, will benefit the community in many ways, including saving the lives of youth who may be dealing with a mental health crisis.
"It takes a village to raise a child and it takes a community to save one," says Jean Mutchie, who manages St. Luke's Children's Hospital.
A portion of proceeds from this year's FitOne event will go toward the Youth Mental First Aid program out of St. Luke's Children's Hospital.
It teaches parents, teachers and other school staff, who are called "first-aid responders," to recognize the signs of anxiety, depression, suicide risk, eating disorders, and other behavioral health issues in pre-teens and teenagers.
"So, if a kid comes to us and says, 'you know I am really feeling down,' and we're worried about self-harm, different things, this creates opportunities for people to say, 'I know what to do and where to go get help,'" Mutchie said.
The first-aid responders are trained to support the child in a crisis until professional help intervenes.
Because many states, including Idaho, lack adequate resources for youth with mental health issues, Mutchie said this program is especially important.
"We want to make sure every child in our community knows how to call the suicide prevention hotline," Mutchie said.
And a small donation to FitOne goes to further this important work.
"Some of the funds literally can save people’s lives," Mutchie said.