Annual walk for suicide awareness meant to be a safe space
The Journey to Hope group campaigns endlessly to raise awareness about suicide in Moose Jaw, and they are once again hosting their annual gathering and walk on Sept. 28.
This will be the 11th year that Journey to Hope has gathered the public together for a September event meant to honour the memory of those affected by suicide and instill a feeling of hope within the community. Beginning with the musical talents of Emily Steinhauer and Kelly Lin on the piano and saxophone at 10 a.m., the public is welcome to gather at W. J. Jones & Son Funeral Home on Athabasca Street prior to the service to mingle and interact with the volunteers.
The Journey to Hope youth chapter have also organized a mural project, which will be available during this time for attendees to become involved in. They have made their logo — a butterfly made using the image of a semi-colon, to represent the suicide prevention movement — out of over 100 wooden pieces that the public is invited to decorate, before it is reassembled and displayed somewhere in the city.
At 10:30 a.m., the ceremony will begin in the chapel, where a number of guests will speak about their experiences in dealing with suicide, and there will be time to reflect and honour those lost to suicide. Following the ceremony at 11:30 a.m., those gathered are invited to take a walk through Crescent Park to reflect and be together.
Della Ferguson, one of the group’s organizers for the event, emphasized the key words for this year’s walk: hope, healing, honouring.
Each year, Ferguson noted, people gather at this event to share in their experiences and offer the comfort by making connections with each other and with nature. “It’s a powerful event,” said Ferguson. “We want people to feel that sense of connection. . . It’s about really taking in the messages and pausing. I think if anything, it’s about the power of the pause, to take time out to come together, to remember, to reflect, and to be.” Journey to Hope always sees a great turnout at the service and walk, as well as for all of the fundraisers that lead up to the event, including the Soles for Hope donation campaign featured at South Hill Fine Foods each year. Also underway are the two raffles that Journey to Hope will be drawing for on the day of Sept. 28. The Ray Bell Memorial raffle has a Roughrider jersey signed by Dan Clark to be won, and Joyce Aitken has made and donated a dragonfly quilt in memory of Gordon Aitken. Tickets for both those raffles are still available, either at the Jones Parkview Funeral home or from any Journey to Hope member.
Last year, Ferguson estimated that the group was able to fundraise around $20,000 to put towards advocating for suicide prevention and awareness.
“We’re just so grateful for the generosity,” said Ferguson. “Every single dollar counts and we are so careful how we spend that money. It is all local and it is all education and resources to empower knowledge and support suicide awareness and prevention.”
The Journey to Hope Walk for Suicide Awareness and Prevention is just one of the events that Journey to Hope has planned for September, as Sept. 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day. More details about what the group has coming up can be found on their Facebook page.