Westerville Education Challenge’s 4th annual Night of Hope 5K, 1-mile, and Family Fun Run is set to take place from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23, at Westerville North’s Jim McCann Stadium.

We invite our many friends, families, and community members to support WEC and attend this great event!

The Night of Hope offers pre-event fun for the whole family, and helps raise money for WEC’s work to promote mental health. Grab a shaved ice treat from our visiting Kona Ice truck, and browse the informational tables set up by many local Mental Health Partners.

Mental Health Partners

Vendors sharing mental health resources at our 2025 Night of Hope will inlcude Concord Counseling of Westerville, NAMI Mid-Ohio, the Westerville Public Library, Good Medicine Productions, the Grief Recovery Method, and Bev Martin Essential Oils. Also with support from the City of Westerville.

Hope Squad enthusiasm

Our Hope Squad students from Westerville North, South, and Central high schools provide most of the person-power for the Night of Hope, running the pre-race games and then cheering on participants as they traverse the great course cross-country course around Westerville North.

Proceeds from the event help support WEC’s social-emotional learning initiatives in the Westerville City School District. We work to create school cultures where every student feels safe, supported and celebrated, with programs like Hope Squad, –  which we helped expand to district middle schools in 2024-25 – the W.E.B. program in our middle schools, the Ruling Our eXperiences mentorship program, and sponsorship of Twinkle, our Canine Companion support dog trained to provide emotional support for Westerville students.

Run/Walk options and activities

Attendees can participate in the Family Fun Run, an official 5K, or tackle a shorter 1-mile course.

Pizza: Our wonderful Night of Hope sponsor Jet’s Pizza will be at the event, serving FREE PIZZA to participants and Volunteers! THANK YOU to Jet’s, also a generous sponsor of our Hope Squad program at all Westerville high schools and middle schools!

Register for the 2025 Run/Walk HERE

The Night of Hope helps fund WEC’s social-emotional learning initiatives in the Westerville City School District. THANK YOU for your support!