By Anna Skinner
After personal experiences caused her depression, a Westfield woman has created an anti-bullying walk/run fundraiser. A Walk for Love will take place at 11 a.m. June 7 at Cool Creek Park, 2000 E. 151st St.
Westfield’s Samantha Brinkman, 19, has been planning the inspiring event since December, after she experienced severe problems with depression.
“This past year I had a lot of issues with depression. I was in and out of the hospital and on suicide watch for a week,” Brinkman said. “I struggled a lot starting with college and feeling alone.”
Shortly after starting college, Brinkman became a victim to cyberbullying and harassment from social media sites like Facebook.
“I felt like I was being tossed into a world that I wasn’t ready for,” she said. “I wanted to make something out of this situation and prevent it from happening to someone else.”
Brinkman then started planning Walk for Love. After working with the administrators at Cool Creek, Brinkman’s plan became a reality. Walk for Love costs $5 to attend, and Brinkman created a website where anyone interested can register to walk, run or volunteer.
Brinkman paid for the walk out of her own pocket, and all proceeds will be sent to To Write Love On Her Arms, a nonprofit organization focused on informing people about depression and mental health issues.
By advertising through social media and word of mouth, Brinkman has tried to spread the word about her fundraiser to promote love. The event will go through the trails of Cool Creek Park. There will be booths promoting self-love, providing motivational phrases for struggling teens with depression and bullying, and stands selling T-shirts and bracelets.
“I think fundraisers like this really help bring the community together and give the members a sense that they aren’t alone,” Brinkman said. “It’s good for the community to come together and not be divided on issues such as bullying.”
To learn more about the event or to sign up, the website is accessible through the link http://275429277505391895.weebly.com. There is also a Facebook event titled Walk for Love.
