Why We Run

Shea’s Chase was founded in loving memory of Shea McKenna, who died by suicide on June 8, 2014. On that day we lost a dear friend, a loved one, a brother, and a son. The next year, Shea’s Chase was established as a movement to break the stigma surrounding mental illness, to get people to think of their mental health the same way as their physical health, to communicate hope and to increase the availability of services and support for those in our community who are struggling.

The first annual Shea’s Chase 5k Run/Walk was held in November of 2015, and the founders chose to donate all proceeds to Mental Health Greensboro, a local nonprofit that provides mental health education and free peer support and recovery services in the community. In 2022, Mental Health Greensboro merged services with the Kellin Foundation, and this year’s run will benefit the free counseling, peer support and other services Kellin Foundation provides. Over the years we have raised over $300,000, with all proceeds going towards the expansion of mental health programs, all due to the generosity of community members and organizations like yours.

An Exercise in Exercise

Shea’s Chase is a cause with a very appropriate “exercise in exercise”, a 5K run/walk, as it’s primary engine.  The core goals of Shea’s Chase are to help:

• De-stigmatize mental health challenges.

• De-stigmatize suicide and lend support to survivors.

• Raise awareness of suicide prevention.

• Highlight the link between mental health and physical health, and promote exercise as a tool to help maintain wellness.

• Communicate the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress as obstacles to contentment and productivity.

• Communicate hope, support, and love to sufferers and their family and friends.

• Raise awareness of services and programs to help those in recovery from manage health challenges.

• Help fund leading, local organizations aligned with the above.