SpeakUp 5k at Byrd Park in Richmond is TODAY!

RICHMOND, Va. — The 12th annual SpeakUp 5K, which raises awareness about teen depression and anxiety, kicks off at 9 a.m. at Richmond's Byrd Park.

Cameron Gallagher designed the race to bring the community together to speak up for those who were suffering or battling any type of mental illness, including depression and anxiety. She wanted a place where others could simply show up without any stigma or judgment.

"I love seeing people slowly come here to the park. You know, the sun's rising, and people are parking, and then it gets busy," Cameron’s mother, Grace Gallagher, said. "And lots of people are coming. People just starting to talk to each other, they're tired, moving slowly."

Cameron’s mother, Grace Gallagher, previously said in an interview.

Cameron passed away in her parents’ arms, just moments after crossing the finish line of a half marathon in Virginia Beach on March 16, 2014. Doctors believe Cameron died from an undiagnosed heart defect. Just a few days after her death, Cameron’s brother discovered plans for the SpeakUp 5K in her journals.

WATCH: Why Grace Gallagher continues to honor daughter Cameron's vision 11 years after her death

Grace says she clearly remembers the day Cameron thought of the idea.

“She comes running down the steps and she’s talking a mile a minute,” Grace said. “She started to share with me what she wanted to say, and I said ‘wait, Cameron, slow down a little bit. Not everybody knows how deep and dark this has been for you. You want to think about what you’re sharing with the community.’ And she looked at me with those piercing eyes and she said, ‘If I’m the one struggling and I’m not afraid to talk about it, why are you?’ That was a big eye-opener for me as a mother."

Despite their overwhelming grief, Cameron’s close-knit family, including her aunts, uncles, and cousins knew the race must go on. So, with Cameron’s journals and blueprints in hand, they created the CKG Foundation and organized its first SpeakUp 5K. That September, more than 3,500 people signed up to walk or run in honor of Cameron at Richmond’s Byrd Park.

“To be able to take that in was overwhelmingly, beautifully difficult,” Clair Norman, Cameron’s aunt, said in a previous interview. “They say joy and pain really coexist often and that was really a part of that day and continues to be really.”

WATCH: Teens talk mental health at SpeakUp5k: 'I have friends going through it'

Gallagher believes young people crave the ability, words, knowledge, freedom and permission to speak up about whatever their story might be. The CKG Foundation helps them get those things and know where to find solace for their anxiety.

"They want to know [their struggle] matters," Gallagher said. "I'm proud of [Cameron] and it is a huge feeling. I believe that I'm doing what any parent would do: you want to keep your child alive."

She described the work as challenging but necessary.

"It's not easy, and everyone has darkness. I mean, however many years it's been, I don't even count the years, because I know that every day I have to live without her, and every day I'll live for her," she said.

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"I know even in my own sadness, it's very easy to go down to a very lonely, isolated place, and you don't want to burden other people, or you don't think other people are going to understand. And it's a gift to be able to walk along somebody that's struggling or in pain, like we're walking today, right? It's a gift... I promise you there is light. You can get to the other side, this is just a moment in time. It does not define you."

Over the past decade, the SpeakUp 5K has launched in several cities around the country and the CKG Foundation continues to shed light on mental health issues through its community programs and SpeakUp Clubs in schools.

Click here to learn more about the event and register for the 5k.

WTVR CBS 6 anchors Bill Fitzgerald and Tracy Sears will return as emcees.

WTVR CBS 6 is a proud sponsor of the event.