Town of Palm Beach News

Week of Hope Launches in Palm Beach

Week of Hope is an initiative held by the Hope for Depression Research Foundation and this year, it is being held in Palm Beach, the Palm Beach Daily News reports.

Audrey Gruss founded the Hope for Depression Research Foundation after her mother, Hope, who suffered from depression, passed away in April 2006, and now her foundation is “the leading nonprofit dedicated solely to to fighting depression through research and education,” Gruss said.

Gruss attributes this success to the Foundation’s Depression Task Force, made up of seven doctors working together to fight the disorder.

The Week of Hope launched on Friday and will end on Sunday after the grand finale—the inaugural Race of Hope 5k held at the Royal Poinciana Plaza. The purpose of the Week of Hope is to raise awareness and end the stigma around depression, Gruss said.

The Race will begin at 8 a.m. this Sunday, and the cost is $50 for adults, $20 for students, and $15 for children nine and under. You can register and find more information here.

Week of Hope Launches in Palm Beach

Gruss splits her time between New York and Palm Beach, and for the last three years, she has held the “Walk” of Hope in Southhampton, New York. Gruss said the walk raised more than $200,000 for the foundation last year alone. This year, Gruss turned the walk into a race to include runners and walkers, and moved the event to Palm Beach.

“The community here is so generous and responsive,” Gruss said, expressing hope that the place would become a gathering place for depression awareness.

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Royal Poinciana Plaza’s general manager, Lilly Leas Ferreira, said that they were happy to host the race after hearing about its success up north. “It seemed like the perfect fit,” she said. “We will actually have our own team in the race: Team Royal.”

The race will begin at the Royal Poinciana Plaza Fountain, go north on Lake Trail, and retune to the starting point on North County Road, a total distance of 3.1 miles or five kilometers. Gruss said she expects about 500 participants, and that around 350 are already registered.

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Alanna Barrett

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