EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Memorial Field will be packed with people this week as the East Grand Rapids Pioneers host Grand Rapids Christian. The Friday night lights of course will be on the football game, but the spotlight for the night will be on the importance of mental health.
The East Grand Rapids Hearts of Gold campaign has existed since 2009 and every year, the school selects a new non-profit organization to support. This year, they've chosen "i understand."
"It's a nonprofit that supports those that have lost a loved one to death by suicide, or living with a mental brain health illness. One of my passions is bringing the conversation to everyday places to normalize it to reduce the stigma attached," said Vonnie Woodrick who started i understand following the death of her husband.
The Hearts of Gold campaign had 24 applicants to be the beneficiary of this year's event before they picked "i understand."
"We know that a lot of people have like struggled before with mental health issues, so we knew that by working with i understand that we could raise a lot and help our community in a huge way," said East Grand Rapids junior Sydney Collins.
Hearts of Gold is made up of both students and adults and they've been working for a long time to make this year's event the best it can be.
"It's definitely a lot of work, but it's all worth it. It gets the community involved, which is really good. All ages are working to support i understand, so it's really good to see that East Grand Rapids as a community comes together for this event," said junior MC Millman.
Hearts of Gold kicked off earlier this week with a "Kids Night Out" that raised more than $1,500. Throughout the week there will be dine out fundraisers going on at businesses within Gaslight Village where a portion of the proceeds will benefit the cause. On Friday there will be food trucks at Memorial Field from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. And on Friday night at 7, the event culminates with the football game.
"You feel accomplished once you see the end goal - how much money you finally raised and what it looks like in the end," said junior Luke VanGessel.
If you'd like to support the cause, but can't attend on Friday you can donate on i understand's website. Hearts of Gold also has a list of dine out events on their website.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.