A Run for Chris returns to raise funds for people living with mental health, substance use concerns

A run-walk event hosted in memory of a Waterdown man who died in 2021 takes place Sunday, to raise funds to help support people living with mental health andsubstance use concerns.

The Run for Chris gets underway atJoe Sams Leisure Park in Waterdown at 11 a.m.The event is named after Chris Owens who died in August 2021 at age 26, after dealing with mental health and addiction issues.

Since it began, the run has raised more than $100,000, Chris's sister Michelle Owens told CBC Hamilton in the lead up to this year's event.

"The first one in August 2022, we had about 400 people. That's been pretty consistent with what it was last year as well in 2023, and that's looking like what we're on par for this year," she told CBC Hamilton.

Last year A Run for Chris made a donation of around $35,000 to The Hub a downtown drop-in program that provides meals to Hamilton's unhoused residents, Michelle said.

This year donations will go to the Youth Wellness Centre at St. Joseph's Healthcare, which was also abeneficiaryin the first year of the event.

'Raising funds to help others'

Michelle said Chris was "a big runner," and this prompted his parents and other family members to do a run on the anniversary of his death in 2022 to honour and recognize him.

His longtime friend Megan Roti previously told CBC Hamilton Owenswas a regular at the Burlington Track Club and the Hamilton Track Club. He also loved travelling and listening to music.

Friends and family saidhe was not a person most would think was struggling but he was. He spent several years living with mental health issues and addiction before he died.

St. Joseph's Healthcare Foundation spokesperson CarrieTrembinski said funds raised through A Run for Chris this year will support the work of the organization'sYouth Wellness Centre, which supports people ages 17 to 25.

"This event has a proud history of both honouring the memory of Chris Owens and raising funds to help others who may be living with mental health or substance use concerns in our community,"Trembinskiwrote in an email to CBC Hamilton.

Care at the wellness centre includes early intervention for those with emerging mental health concerns, transition services for young adults moving from the pediatric mental health care system into the adult system, and a mobile team for those who may face barriers to accessing care,Trembinski said.

The services also includeculturally sensitive and gender inclusive programming to support racializedand 2SLGBTQ+people who often experience racism, trauma, exclusion, and mental health challenges related to the intersection of their identities, she said.

Owens's sister Michellesaid she expects the event on Sunday to bring out people of all ages.

"Rather than being a race or just a run, a lot of people choose to walk the course on Sunday and they'll bring strollers and dogs. So, we've just been able to kind of create a day where people can spend time together and kind of recognize some of these different initiatives and for a good cause."