It will be a time to come together to remember and honour those we have lost, as Journey to Hope presents its annual walk for suicide awareness and prevention on Saturday, Sept. 26 in Crescent Park.
The walk is held annually in conjunction with Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. It is a peaceful, contemplative walk through the park.
Although the event itself is still weeks away, organizers have been busy raising funds to support local mental health initiatives. It's all a part of 'Getting Loud for Mental Health.'
Recent efforts include a peach sale fundraiser, in partnership with B&B Fruit Stand, which raised $2,500.
The group is currently selling ‘Soles for Hope’ placards at South Hill Fine Foods.
“We are so grateful to have them as hope ambassadors,” said organizer Della Ferguson. “They are at the till and they ask ‘would you like to contribute towards the Soles for Hope program with Journey to Hope?’ In that moment we have broken silence. Every time they say it out loud, well, we are fighting against a stigma and we are breaking silence.”
A dollar from the sale of every Soles for Hope will go towards Journey to Hope.
There is also an ongoing quilt raffle. This year’s quilt was made by Joyce Aitken. Only 2,000 tickets will be sold. Tickets are $2 each.
“She has made a quilt that last three years in memory of her husband, Gord Aitken. This year’s quilt is called ‘Pieces of My Heart.’”
Raffle tickets can be purchased via email. That is because organizers want to limit the number of person-to-person transactions this year. Thus, the group is also asking that pledge forms be filled out and returned ahead of time. Pledges should be turned in by Friday, Sept. 25 at noon.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, such adaptations are necessary.
“It will be a little different this year. We had started going indoors because of the weather, but of course we have moved back it outdoors. We are saying masks are required because we want everyone to be safe and we want it to feel like a safe atmosphere.”
Aside from masks and social distancing, the walk itself will look and feel much the same. One thing is for sure — its purpose has not changed.
“The event is very much about hope, healing, and honouring. We have found one of the biggest parts of the event is it is a time of memorial, honouring the memory of those who have died by suicide,” said Ferguson. “It is a way of us standing together in solidarity and for people who have had a loved one die by suicide feel connected and not isolated. In our social distanced way, we are going to do that.”
The day will begin at 10 a.m. with live music at the Amphitheatre. A short ceremony will follow from 10:30 to 11. The walk itself will commence at 11:30.
To obtain or return pledge forms, or to purchase raffle tickets, email Ferguson at dferguson@sasktel.net. More information is available on Journey to Hope’s Facebook page.
