How many people would support it given the restrictions? And even if it was held in the Crescent Park amphitheatre, what would the weather be like and how would it affect things? Could it be pulled off at all?
But Della Ferguson with Journey to Hope and her team of volunteers soldiered on. And they were rewarded on Saturday morning as just under 100 people took in the event under blue skies and comfortable, albeit windy conditions. That, on top of the hundreds more who took part in the Facebook Live stream.
And once again, the Journey achieved its goal — raise awareness of suicide and suicide prevention, mental health and everything associated with it.
Having a live gathering of some sort was always in the cards if it could be done safely, Ferguson explained.
“We know the value of seeing each others faces,” she said. “There’s a mental health value to that, to be able to do that and actually say and have living proof that you are not alone, that’s vital.
“We went from social distancing to physical distancing and mental health has really taken a hit… there’s so much of a fear factor resonating around, COVID is not something that should be taken lightly, it’s so serious. That adds fear and anxiety to people’s lives, and it’s important that people know there are resources available.”
The Journey touched on all of that, as supporters and those affected by suicide told their stories.
Joyce Aitken spoke about losing husband Gord to suicide and how his high-functioning depression kept the most dangerous symptoms hidden. The author of ‘Sincere Condolences’, a book designed to help talk about grief and loss, Aitken urged participants to be aware of depression and it effects while helping erase the stigma of mental health issues.
Fellow author Carla O’Reilly — who has written three books on dealing with post-partum depression and other issues, including her most recent ‘T.U.R.N. O.N. T.H.E. S.W.I.T.C.H.’ — spoke of her own battle with mental health and how her son Dan is her ‘why,’ how hope beats grief.
Everyone involved in the event carried the same overall message and the same goal: finding a way to stop suicide and helping heal those with mental health concerns.
“These are the kinds of things we’re trying to accelerate in this community, and as we prepare for winter, which means more darkness, more isolation, we want to get stronger systems in place to support the people and not leave them feeling isolated at all,” Ferguson said.
The good thing? The message is getting out there, especially after Journey to Hope embarked on their ‘Get Loud for Mental Health’ campaign.
“People are responding, people are coming up to me and saying ‘I heard you on the radio and I really believe in what you’re doing’ and that’s huge,” Ferguson said. “When I have a young woman coming up to me and saying there isn’t enough being done for suicide prevention, that told me we weren’t loud enough, we need to be louder and let people know that we’re here to help.”
As one might expect, the fundraising component of the Journey was also once again a huge success.
A total of $35,889 had been raised heading into the event, featuring plenty of impressive donations.
The ‘Make Froats Row’ campaign headed by local athlete and coach Dawn Froats brought in no less than $12,130, proceeds from her annual fundraiser that saw 100 meters covered on a rowing machine for every $10 raised. Froats and her team ended up covering over 110 kilometres this time around.
Then there was Aitken and her annual quilt donation, with theme for this year’s blanket ‘Pieces of My Heart’ bringing in $2,288 through a raffle. The Gibson Refinery Kindness campaign featured matching donations and raised $5,209, while the annual Our Peaches sale cleared $2,500. Pledges gathered by Brenda Dueck and her family in memory of Nick Bryan brought in a further $5,725.
Every cent raised will go back to helping with the Journey to Hope mission.
“We have a lot of work to do, we’ll be dreaming of how we can best and most efficiently use those funds. I call it a sacred trust, every dollar is so honourable and makes such a difference,” Ferguson said.
