The Michael Cherry Memorial 5K: A Day of Remembrance, Awareness, and Prevention

Michael Cherry was born as a gift on Christmas and spent his formative years growing up in Grafton, Massachusetts. A proud graduate of Grafton High School, Michael loved being a part of his community, be it spending time with his numerous friends and family or working on his motorcycles, even if it terrified his mom. Michael spent most of his adult years giving back to communities in need, be it in his travel to Haiti in 2011 or supporting humanitarian efforts in Peru. He was described by all that knew him as a kind soul in an angry world. On October 5th, 2017, Michael tragically lost his life following a battle with depression and anxiety. On average, 130 people a day will lose their lives to suicide in the United States. Many feel as though there are no options for help or support. Here at the Oddball Foundation, we are committed to changing that.

The Oddball Foundation is proud to announce our second annual Michael Cherry Memorial Walk. Last year's 5K was an incredible event with guest speakers from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, This is My Brave, and Fit for Duty. With your support, we donated $3000 dollars to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and can award up to three Grafton High School student scholarships in the name of the Cherry Family. This year in an attempt to be more inclusive and family-friendly, we are changing the 5K into a Memorial Walk only. This year we plan to have more speakers and more focus on alternate ways of reaching out for help when in crisis including many informative tables, and speakers who will entertain and hopefully give you a new perspective on suicide awareness.

This year will be the fifth year of Michael’s passing, and we want to honor him in a big way, by continuing the conversation about suicide and the importance of mental health and supporting each other. We want to put on another amazing event, but this time raise twice as much money, include walking teams, bigger giveaways, and more speakers, music, and fun for the whole family. 

Please join us for an even bigger celebration of Michael Cherry's life, and a Memorial Walk that is sure to make you remember Michael and give you hope and ways to have conversations with each other about the hard topic of suicide.

Presented by both the family of Michael Cherry and the Oddball Foundation a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to mental health advocacy, social change, and environmental action.