Humber College’s 5K run, held on April 11, 2024, at noon, saw an impressive turnout of 114 participants defying the steady rain, all rallying together to support free mental health programs for Stella’s Place.
Stella’s Place offers free mental health assistance to young adults between the ages of 13 to 26.
Humber College took up the responsibility of raising funds for Stella’s place and raised $3,689.90.
Humber College organized its 17th annual 5k run, continuing its tradition; they started raising funds for Stella’s Place since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
Funds raised from the run will go towards sustaining vital mental health programs for Stella’s Place, for teenagers ensuring that individuals have access to the support and resources they need.
Every year, the third-semester students of the fitness and health promotion program organize this event.
The event, which was open to individuals within and outside the Humber College community, showcased a remarkable display of solidarity and commitment to mental health advocacy.
Despite the rain, their dedication to the cause was unwavering, underscoring the importance of raising awareness and support for mental health initiatives.
Among them, Blaise Uglow, a student from Humber College’s Fitness and Health Promotion program, emerged as the frontrunner, crossing the finish line in an impressive time of 15:36 minutes.
Rebecca Greer from St. Lawrence College emerged as the first female to finish the race.
“The race strategy of this race was to enjoy, I was not really going out for a good time but was having fun and try doing my best,” she said.
“It feels pretty good, it just feels like it is for a good cause and it’s pretty fun,” she said.
Greer said she would love to join more events in the future if there are any more events like this coming up.
Reflecting on the event, organizers and management expressed gratitude for the overwhelming response and the sense of community that permeated throughout the day.
Carmen Puyo, the course instructor for the special events program, was at the event managing.
“The weather was not what we expected it to be,” she said.
“Students came out of their comfort zone, this is not what they are used to, but (at) the end they pulled it out,” Puyo said.
The event was sponsored by Redbull, Garmin Express, and Humber FYE, said Isaiah Noel one of the hosts and part of the administration group.
“Keeping everyone energetic is the goal, we have done a really good job, we have our DJ and everything is working fine,” he said.
He said that all 114 participants demonstrated remarkable enthusiasm and completed the race.
Andrew Urbani, a skilled runner, swimmer, and a student from Humber College, participated in the run as a tribute to his late grandfather.
“I am so proud of myself and finished the race, no matter the outcome,” he said.
“I am so happy that I did this for him (his grandfather) and I did pretty well,” Urbani said.