[ ANAHEIM, CA ] -- On Saturday, September 28, 70 members of the Hope International University community, including 45 students (undergrad and grad), gathered outside of Angel Stadium with 5,000 other participants for the 15th Annual NAMIWalks Orange County 5K. HIU sponsored the 2019 event, which generated more than $190,000, with our team contributing a program record amount of $4,529. The money raised will help fund mental health services that will be utilized by thousands of Orange County individuals and families.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. NAMIWalks is their largest community awareness campaign, held annually at various locations across the country to help eliminate the stigma surrounding mental illness and to fund crucial NAMI programs for families, peers, and providers.

Our Marriage & Family Therapy (MFT) program has been spearheading HIU's participation in this event for the past two years, generating awareness and support, and recruiting and organizing a team of faculty, staff, and students. The HIU team had numerous opportunities to converse with other NAMIWalks participants, sharing information about our MFT program, our College of Psychology & Counseling, and the University in general.