Overview:
On September 12, 2026, the non-profit organization The Promise of Faith hosted its inaugural Walk for Hope 5k in Rialto to promote suicide prevention and mental health awareness. Founded by Inez Rodriguez and co-founder Jonny Flores, the event drew 102 runners to help break social stigmas. Proceeds from the walk will fund community outreach and educational workshops, while an upcoming Friendsgiving event is scheduled for November 25 in San Bernardino.
Alyssah Hall
The non-profit organization, The Promise of Faith, presented their inaugural 5k “Walk for Hope: Suicide Prevention Awareness Month Run/Walk” in Rialto on Sept. 12, 2026.
The event was open to the community in hopes of breaking the stigma surrounding mental health, raising awareness, and reminding people who are struggling that they are not alone. The event gathered 102 registered runners, and a total of 10 vendors. All of the events’ proceeds went to supporting The Promise of Faith’s educational workshops, mental health awareness initiatives and community outreach programs.
Inez Rodriguez started The Promise of Faith in 2022, and it became an official non profit in 2023. The organization was created due to Rodriguez’s compassion and struggle with supporting her brother through a series of mental health crises nearly ten years ago. Handling the complexities of mental illness deeply affected Rodriguez and her family. Those hard experiences fueled her determination to establish a sanctuary of hope for those in need. The Promise of Faith aims to empower communities by offering resources like feedings for the unhoused every other month, education workshops and other forms of support to end the stigmas that surround homelessness and mental health.
“During my journey with my brother’s mental illness and advocating for him, I realized that a majority of the unhoused community struggles with mental illness and they are self-medicating with drugs and alcohol,” Rodriguez stated. “So that’s really what sparked the passion to go out and feed them, and just connect with them, and allow them to feel seen and heard.”
In 2024, suicide was the cause of 48,824 deaths in the U.S. An estimated 14.3 million adults seriously thought about suicide, 4.6 million scheduled a suicide attempt, and 2.2 million attempted suicide, acording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“You have purpose. There’s a reason why you’re here and you’re still alive. It’s not over, and this is just a season,” Rodriguez shared.
The event was five hours in length and also featured a moment of remembrance and hope to honor the lives of loved ones to provide a space for connection and healing.
“I didn’t expect this big of an outcome, but it’s beautiful to see our community come together and want to raise awareness and speak up for those that we have lost to suicide, and then just turning our story into something positive for the rest of the community,” Rodriguez said.
Co-founder of The Promise of Faith, Jonny Flores, said that it is important to be able to bring awareness to “something that we tend not to speak about.” Flores explained that by bringing awareness to the topics of suicide prevention and mental health, these conversations can be normalized which will lead to helping more people. Promise of Faith board member Eric Barrientos agreed with Flores and said that these topics are “seen as taboo in our society, but it’s something that impacts us more than we know.” Barrientos also shared that he was glad to see the turnout at the event of people who came out to support.
Susana Barrios attended the event in honor of her late nephew who she lost to suicide two years ago. Barrios agreed that there should be more discussion around mental health and suicide prevention. “We should feel comfortable speaking about it and we should break that,” Barrios said. She encouraged others to use their voice and that whatever they have to say is important.
Resources like the 24/7 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides caring counselors who offer support to those facing emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns, mental health struggles, or for those who just need someone to talk to. For more information on how to volunteer, donate or learn more about The Promise of Faith, visit https://www.promiseoffaith.org/
An upcoming event for The Promise of Faith is their annual Friendsgiving where they feed the unhoused community. The event will take place at Perris Hill Park in San Bernardino on Nov. 25.
“We like to make it like a Friends-giving feel. So we set up tables to sit with them and have a Thanksgiving dinner. We’ll have a backdrop, a DJ. [to] just make it a real like family-oriented event for them,” Rodriguez said.