More than 200 people donned tinsel-esque apparel, vibrant puffy boas, and all sorts of loud garb as they made their way through town for the third annual J9 Sparkle Run.
The run was held in honour of Jeanine D鈥橝ntonio, a long-time community volunteer who lost her battle with depression in April 2014.
Organizers created the race not only as a memoriam, but also as a way to end the stigma around mental health, and as a means to raise money for community programs.
鈥淲hat we know is that mental health doesn鈥檛 discriminate against age, race or religion,鈥� said Lourdes Nunes, one of D鈥橝ntonio鈥檚 close friends and an organizer of the event. 鈥淢ental health is something that affects all of us whether we know it or not.鈥�
According to Nunes, so far they've raised about $6,000 with more money still trickling in.
鈥淭his event is a gift that came after the tragedy of losing a very loved community member,鈥� Nunes said.
Unlike the first two years, this year鈥檚 event included a new course taking participants from the Jasper Activity Centre parking lot, around town and onto the trails in front of the train station. The event also held a bustling party at the Jasper Legion which included food, a silent auction and live entertainment.
Kayla Byrne
[email protected]
听
