Campbell directs donors away from campaign
Longtime Niagara Falls councillor hopes money goes instead to mental health fund
Wayne Campbell isn’t turning down donations to his re-election campaign in Niagara Falls.
But he is asking donors to think twice.
His first preference, he said, is that the money instead be given to a fund that honours the memory of his daughter, Katey, who died by suicide in 2013.
Started by Campbell and his wife, Katey’s mom Helga, all the money it raises is shared by the Niagara Falls YWCA and Pathstone Mental Health.
“I’ve had four donors call me asking for an address (where they could donate to the campaign), who said they would do that instead — donate to the fund,” said Campbell.
Katey Campbell was 33 when she drowned in the Niagara River. She was a school teacher and an artist, but had struggled with mental illness and addiction much of her life.
The Campbells believe she was sexually abused by another child when she was young and that that cast a cloud over the rest of her life.
After her funeral, when people asked where they could donate to help people facing similar troubles, the two launched the Katey Marie Campbell Fund, administered by Niagara Community Foundation.
It has raised about $80,000 in that time, “and the money can’t be used for administrative purposes,” said Campbell, 72, explaining it was created to help people in the community.
“We were just talking the other day to people at the YWCA, they’ve used those funds to help a woman get back on her feet, and they bought her a one-way ticket back home to Winnipeg.
“It’s purchased clothing for a young woman who had a job interview but didn’t have the right clothes. It’s paid for medications for young kids — there’s just a hundred different stories on how the money was used.”
Both Campbells are seeking re-election on Oct. 22 — Wayne to Niagara Falls city council, where he has served for 22 years since 1985, and Helga to District School Board of Niagara where she’s been a trustee for four years.
In his 2014 campaign, Wayne Campbell spent approximately $2,200 of his own money and received about $500 in donations. He said he’ll cover all his own expenses this time.
“The statistics with respect to mental health are something like one in five people struggles with something,” said Wayne.
“Based on our experience, it’s a heck of a lot higher. A heck of a lot higher. The sad part is, the money that goes to mental health is peanuts compared to what goes to cancer or heart and stroke, but so many people struggle with mental health problems.”
They got the idea for the fund after learning of one that Pathstone employees had started on their own to help out in emergency situations. Rather than putting a lot of money toward one or two projects, they would contribute to many smaller ones.
“We thought that would be a great way to leave a legacy for Katey,” said Campbell.
“It helps us keep her alive.”