Speak Up 5k Launch Party

What: Speak Up 5k Launch Party for the SpeakUp5k Run in September

When: May 31st from 3-8pm

Where: Brown's Island (5th Street and Tredegar Street)

Join us at the Speak Up 5k Launch Party from 3-8pm on May 31st at Brown's Island! While the actual 5k is scheduled for September, the Launch Party will serve as a kickoff with the unveiling of the race course, opening of registration, and clinics hosted by various sports vendors. The Launch Party will feature live music, food vendors, beer trucks, sports vendors, and a variety of children's activities.

The Speak Up 5k will honor the legacy of 16-year-old Cameron Gallagher, a Henrico teen who died after collapsing at the finish line of a half marathon in Virginia Beach in March 2014. Before her death, Cameron had created the plans for a 5k race that she wanted to call the "speakup5k". Having struggled with depression herself, she wanted to create a race that would encourage others to "speak up" for positive causes and challenge them to have a positive impact on the world. Specifically, the race will partner with the Virginia Treatment Center for Children to raise awareness for childhood depression.

Those interested in helping to fund the development of the Speak Up 5k may donate to "The Cameron Kathleen Gallagher Memorial Foundation". This 501( c)(3) accepts donations that will help create the 5k and ultimately support organizations that provide services and work to eliminate stigmas surrounding mental health.

For more information, please visit www.speakup5k.com. We hope to see you there!