Ex-radio hosts ‘personal heroes:’ mayor
Andrew Jakubeit an annual participant in Ride Don’t Hide, coming on June 25
Penticton’s mayor revealed Tuesday that he counts a pair of former local radio personalities among his personal heroes. Speaking at the kickoff for the annual Ride Don’t Hide fundraiser in support of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Andrew Jakubeit told the crowd he admires Mare and Jeremy McGoran for their candid admissions about how mental illness has affected their family.
Jeremy, a former on-air host for EZ Rock, revealed publicly in 2016 that he struggles with anxiety and depression, and had been suicidal in the past. Mare, his wife and a former on-air host for SUN FM, also opened up how the two had managed to overcome their difficulties together.
“They were radio personalities, very well-known in the community, who put their hands up and spoke very candidly about mental health,” said Jakubeit.
“And it takes a lot of courage for someone to stand up and talk about mental health.”
The mayor said that’s why he annually takes part in Ride Don’t Hide.
“Dealing with mental health or seeing a psychiatrist shouldn’t be a stigma, and that’s one of the offsets of raising awareness, is helping to combat that,” he explained.
Jeremy, who now sits on the local CMHA board, encouraged others to seek help if they need it.
“I was one of those people who just suffered in silence. I just thought I was really stressed out. It wasn’t until I realized what I was actually dealing with that it all started to make a lot more sense,” he said.
“One in five Canadians suffer from mental illness, and when I found that out, I decided that I wasn’t going to be silent and I needed to use my platform that I had at the time . . . and just do my part to end the stigma surrounding mental illness.”
Ride Don’t Hide is set for June 25, and will see cyclists leave Penticton and pedal 12, 24 or 36 kilometres on the KVR Trail.
“It’s not a race; it’s just a fun event to raise funds and awareness for mental health,” said Leah Schulting, executive director of the CMHA’s South OkanaganSimilkameen branch.
Registration costs $30 until April 30 or $45 after that. Participants are also expected to collect pledges. In exchange, they’ll get a fully supported ride with goodies along one of the region’s most scenic pathways. All money raised will assist local CMHA programs. To register, visit www.ridedonthide.com. The ride in Penticton is one of 35 scheduled to take place across Canada with as many as 10,000 cyclists.