Depression is more than just the blues, and for years now, the Hope for Depression Research Foundation has been raising money and awareness to tackle this persistent problem.
On Saturday, about 1,200 people showed up on a warm, sunny day at Bradley Park for the running of the sixth annual Race of Hope 5K to Defeat Depression in Palm Beach. Not all participants ran; some strolled, some sauntered, others walked briskly.
But the result was still the same: Money to help fund depression research. The day’s take was $900,000.
HDRF Founding Chair Audrey Gruss and HDRF Board member Scott Snyder, both Palm Beach residents, served as co-grand marshals for the race.
The first-place finisher in the race was Sean Clark, a Pennsylvanian. First over the finish line in the women’s division was Niki Desjardin of North Palm Beach.
The race had nearly 900 participants in 2023, breaking all previous records and raising $550,000 for HDRF’s advanced life-saving mental health research into new treatments for clinical depression. The race was first launched in Southampton in August 2016 and expanded to Palm Beach in February 2019.