As folks entered the Jones-Parkview Funeral Service chapel for the Journey to Hope remembrance and awareness event in 2019, they came across a rather unique sight.
A table filled with pieces of broken tile, on which they could write special messages of support, memory and positivity to be included in a future art project that was being put together by the organization’s youth chapter.
On Saturday afternoon, that project was finally revealed.
Dozens of supporters gathered at the Crescent Park amphitheatre for the official unveiling of the mosaic mural during the Journey2Hope youth chapter’s art sale, marking the final step in what turned into a far longer-term project than originally expected.
“There wasn’t a lot left to do before COVID hit, and then we couldn’t do anything,” said Hannah Behiel, a Grade 12 Riverview student who was part of Journey2Hope back at the beginning of the mural project. “So the mural actually sat in my garage during COVID for two years and I slowly worked on it. It’s amazing to see to finally come together.”
The design features a butterfly with a semicolon body and pieces of the mosaic tile as wings, with messages of hope from the public as well as Journey2 Hope members written on them. Brooke Edkins, a Grade 12 student from Peacock who was also part of the original project, explained how she chose her message.
“We were in a classroom talking about it all and what Journey to Hope meant to us,” she said. “So I asked myself ‘what does hope mean to me’ and that’s what I wrote… it’s so nice to see it all finished and how it all came together.”
The original design was put together by Peacock’s Josh Burris back in 2019, with the overall butterfly chosen due to its use as a universal symbol of hope. As the semicolon has been adopted as the symbol for the continuation of mental health, it was a natural fit for the body, as are the mosaic pieces forming the wings.
All told, Burris’ design has been adopted as the Journey2Hope Youth Chapter’s logo and has become a common site at Journey to Hope events ever since.
Seeing the project finally come to fruition was as heartwarming as could be for Journey to Hope organizer Della Ferguson.
“It’s really phenomenal,” she said. “This is such a work of art and heart, and when it’s done as a memorial it’s something that has a whole sacred meaning of its own. These youth have worked so hard in finalizing it, and especially Cory Saas who was the team lead for all the coordination. I know there were many sleepless nights making sure this would be a solid mural that would withstand the weather and they’ve done such an amazing job.”
The project received public support, too, including a donation from the Moose Jaw Police Service to make sure it finally reached completion.
“I’m unbelievably happy to see it like this, it fills me with so much joy to see it come together,” Behiel said. “And now it’ll be down here forever and it’s pretty neat to have been a part of it.”
Edkins felt much the same.
“I’m happy that it’s done and it’s almost like the end of an era,” she said. “It was four years of working on it, and it’s nice to see it done and it almost feels like the start of something new.”
The whole project is just the latest step forward for Journey to Hope and their ongoing efforts in suicide prevention, awareness and mental health support, and a sign that the future is in good hands.
“It shows that young people like this do want to walk beside each other and do want to inspire hope and that our future looks great,” Ferguson said.” I’m so grateful that these youth are moving to be leaders in our community because what I’ve observed today in their workmanship together and in their teamwork efforts has been phenomenal.”
