HOWELL – Runners and walkers came out to support an organization that makes sure there is always someone there when you reach out for help.
Contact of Ocean and Monmouth Counties held their 5K Run and Walk at Howell High School recently.
The proceeds go toward providing a suicide prevention and crisis 24-hour phone line. The organization hit a milestone 50th year in operation in 2025.
The phone line, 732-240-6100, is answered by people trained to offer information, refer people to services, or simply provide a person to talk to.
The nonprofit also provides telephone reassurance through the Ocean County Department of Senior Services.
Executive director Kim Bessler Santora said that this fundraiser has evolved over its 13 years in existence.
The event has been always dedicated to those loved and lost: William Bruno, Jake Bukowiec, John Bukowiec, Jr., Jared Crippen, Kevin Glass, Connor Mahan, Brian McDonough, Bubba O’Reilly, Walter Reitsma, and Bill Whittaker.
There was a memorial spot for those who inspired the run, and there was also a place where people could add names of people they were running for.
“We expanded it so that people can run in memory of anyone they want to remember,” Santora said.
She thanked race director Pete Bruno who started this event and has organized it every year. “He does a fantastic job and we couldn’t do it without him.”
She also thanked the local school district because the race begins and ends at Howell High School. This helps kids become familiar with Contact, which is helpful since the teen years are such an important time in someone’s life.
“We do get a lot of kids participate, either as a volunteer or to run,” she said.
“It’s a somber event but also a celebration of lives lost,” she said.
