Run for Rocky raises $60K for gay-straight alliances

The 3rd Annual Run For Rocky raised more than $60,000 on the weekend to promote gay-straight alliances in Windsor-Essex schools.

The run took place at Dieppe Garden Sunday.

The charity run and walk was inspired by Rocky Campana, who died in 2012 after attempting to take his own life.

He was 23 years old at the time of his death.

Fifteen schools, including a contingent from Chatham, participated in the event this year.

Nabil Rahimian, 14, is a Grade 9 student at Chathams's John McGregor Secondary School. He's straight but explained why he joined his school's gay-straight alliance in September.

"I was just tired of the way that people were treating especially guys my age. They call people gay as a joke or to make fun of them but why would you use that to make fun of somebody?" Rahimian said.

More than 550 runners and walkers were on hand Sunday.

Rocky's mother, Nancy Campana, claims Windsor now has Canada's only funding model to support gay-straight alliances.

"We have LGBTQ libraries starting in schools, we have a scholarship program for gay-straight alliance students, we have a grant programs - so we are seeing the momentum in year three ... that money going into the schools and parents seeing the support and educators seeing the support and the void it's filling."

The first two Run for Rocky events raised more than $120,000.

Miya Taylor is a Grade 9 student at General Amherst High School who participated in the run with nearly 60 classmates.

One of her teachers was Rocky's uncle, meaning this event hit close to home.

"I'd love to say that I don't see as much but I think there's a lot that goes on, online and behind closed doors," she said of bullying. "That shouldn't be happening."