Running Toward Hope.
Walking for Awareness. Standing Together.
Chasing Hope exists to raise awareness for suicide prevention and mental health, break down the stigma surrounding mental illness, and foster hope within our communities. Through education, advocacy, and community engagement, we strive to connect individuals and families with resources, support, and the reminder that no one has to face their struggles alone.
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Meet Chase
Chasing Hope was founded in memory of Jeffery Chase Hatton, lovingly known as Chase.
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Born on June 3, 1996, Chase grew up in Irvine, Kentucky, graduating from Estill County High School in 2014. He was a member of the ROTC throughout high school. He was former military with the Army National Guard in Fort Benning, GA.
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For many years Chase worked as a Journeyman Pipe Welder. He enjoyed this work and took pride in his attention to detail, becoming known for being able to hang upside down when needed for some welding projects. His footprints still lie in the grounds where he helped prepare the pipes for several buildings.
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Chase loved his son deeply and was surrounded by family, and extended family who loved him very much. His struggle with depression began after high school with many life events that occurred and he just could not shake. As these life events compounded, he felt overwhelmed and that he could not continue to live life as it was for him.
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Chase took his own life with a handgun on the family farm on Friday morning, October 28, 2022. Just beforehand, he sent a text to his entire family, immediate and extended, that read, ‘I’m happy to be a part of your lives. I love you all. I’m sorry.’ Several letters were also left for family members expressing his love, regrets, frustrations and loss of hope.
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As for anybody that has suffered clinical depression, you look for hope, you seek hope, you want hope to arrive and make it all go away so that you can start feeling alive again…to live again. However, for many, this continuous chase for hope never brings relief and the spiral continues.
Hence the name, and purpose, of this non-profit, CHASING HOPE, is in honor of Chase and the constant chase for hope that many run every day. Our own hope now is to bring awareness to suicide prevention and mental health to help others find healing.
Our Next Race
The Chasing Hope 5K and 1-Mile Hope Stride serves as both a fundraiser and a beacon of hope, bringing people together to honor loved ones, support those currently struggling, and help create a future where conversations about mental health are met with compassion, understanding, and action. 100% of net proceeds from the event will support the Behavioral Health Studies at Baptist Health in Richmond, Kentucky.
The event will also include a water lantern release, which serves as a powerful, symbolic ritual to honor lost loved ones, foster community healing, and raise awareness. Participants may decorate their lanterns with personal messages, tributes, or words of encouragement before releasing them onto the water.
