As part of a class project, a group of students has coordinated a benefit concert for tonight to not only provide music to participants, but also raise awareness and money for “Just a Mile.”

“Just a Mile” is a non-profit organization created by Mike Nowak, a 2008 alumni, which raises money for suicide awareness by running marathons. Nowak has ran more than 52 miles in the first year of running marathons and raising $2,500 along the way.

Kyrie Park, Andrew Shipp and their group members have planned “Rock the Fight for Life,” a charity concert to bring awareness to suicide.

Shipp, a senior business management major, said the idea for the charity concert started in his project management class when the professor asked students to come up with an idea for a project. Out of about 40 projects, Shipp said his was one of five chosen to be carried-out.

“Rock the Fight for Life” will start at 7 p.m. today and will take place in the 7th Street Underground.

Shipp had come up with the idea of a charity concert that would bring awareness to suicide and raise money for “Just a Mile,” a foundation created after the death of Jesse Mounce, a member of Shipp’s fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon. Mounce’s death, in 2008, was caused by “self inflicted” injuries.

Nowak, a Sig Ep member and friend of Mounce’s, started “Just a Mile” with the goal to run marathons while raising money for suicide awareness.

“Once I heard about what (Nowak) was trying to do and his cause, it was just something that I really wanted to help support him,” Shipp said.

While planning the event, Shipp said he did not want to plan a boring project, so he came up with the idea of a charity concert.

Bands playing at the concert include The Stationary, Muddy Grove and performances by Brad Ohlwine and Sean Tyree.

During the event Nowak and Mike Tozer, from the counseling center, will speak to participants about suicide.

Park, a senior marketing and management major, commented on “Just a Mile.”

“I’ve been personally affected by suicide so I think it’s a great cause and a very unique way of going about it,” Park said.

She said she does not think suicide awareness prevention gets enough attention, but it is something that affects students more personally.

She also said the event will not only have bands, speakers, but also a raffle.

“It’ll be just like a really chill experience, but the educational aspect of it I think its gonna be kind of huge,” Parks said.

Shipp said he did not want the event to be drab like every other suicide awareness events, but he wanted to inform students and make his event a little more up beat.

“I think that it’s going to be one of the experiences that people are going to actually relate to and take away from but actually have fun,” Parkssaid.

Tickets for the event will be $5 at the door and all proceeds will go to the “Just A Mile” foundation.

Sam Bohne can be reached at 581-2812 or shbohne@eiu.edu