An average of 10 per day. Close to 4,000 deaths a year, 90 per cent of whom have a mental health problem or illness involved. A further 25 to 30 suicide attempts for every death. And for everyone who dies by suicide, between seven and 10 people are profoundly affected.
That’s where the Moose Jaw Journey to Hope comes in.
The 12th annual Journey took place on the morning of Sept. 28, with over 150 people taking part in the remembrance and awareness event at the Jones-Parkview Funeral Services chapel.
There, they heard stories from those who had lost and had survived their own brushes with tragedy, and how finding help had changed their lives.
That’s all part of the Journey’s ongoing mission, said event organizer Della Ferguson.
“What’s most encouraging is that the conversation is happening, at a time when the stigma was so great,” she said shortly after a singing of Stand by Me closed out the 2019 edition. “Now we’re having that conversation and reaching out and asking for help and being real about where we’re at so we can get the resources we need to keep us where we’re at.”
To say the community of Moose Jaw supports the endeavour is an understatement, with the fundraising totals alone a testament to that fact.
The total stood at $21,828.85 as of Saturday afternoon, with all the funds going to suicide prevention and education programs.
“There’s just so much work that needs to be done and a lot of training we can offer with that,” Ferguson said. “So we’re so grateful for the generosity of our community.”
Some of the major donations are as varied as they are generous.
Just as an example, South Hill Fine Foods sold over $600 word of the Soles for Hope placards. The Southern Independent Riders Spring Poker Run brought in $1,000. And even a donor from Minnesota sent in $642.
Then there are the ones who come through year in and year out.
Like Cathie Bell and her family, who auctioned off a Dan Clark-signed Roughriders jersey in memory of Ray Bell for $2,069. Or the beautiful dragonfly quilt donated by Joyce Aitken in memory of Gord Aitken that went for $2,118.
And then there was Dawn Froats Row 2.0.
A longtime local high-level athlete and coach, Froats held the first #MakeFroatsRow event last year, with $10 raised for every 100 metres she put in on a rowing machine. The end result was no less than 30,000 metres covered by herself and a further 30,000 by volunteers, raising a total of $6,000.
That was meagre compared to 2019.
Froats herself covered 40,000 metres. That’s 40 kilometres, equivalent to travelling from Moose Jaw to Pense, on a rowing machine. By herself. Then her teammates stepped in and took it all the way to Balgonie, a further 50,000 metres.
All told, Froats and her team would raise $9,000 and over $15,000 the last two years.
As incredible as that support is and as appreciative as the Journey to Hope is for the work so many people put in to help the cause, Ferguson would rather not have to do it at all.
Because that would mean suicide is no longer an issue and that so many problems associated with it had been solved.
“It’s bittersweet to be honest,” Ferguson said. “Most everyone in this room has had someone die by suicide, so they come here with such a passionate heart to see a difference and try and bring change so people won’t die in such desperate ways.”
Journey to Hope recently joined with the Canadian Mental Health Association to hold a trio of suicide awareness, education and prevention problems earlier this week, with all three filled to capacity.
For more information on the Journey to Hope and the programs they offer now and in the future, check out their website
Be sure to check the Crisis Support section of the page if you feel you need help or know someone who needs help.
