'Harmony for Healing' Event Organizer Sends Cordial Invitation Letter to Neil Young and Daryl Hannah

Organizer Philip Jolicoeur has reached out in a cordial letter to famed Canadian musician Neil Young and his wife and actress Daryl Hannah to attend his ‘Harmony for Healing’ suicide prevention concert.

Jolicoeur’s letter that was posted to social media. Photo courtesy of Philip Jolicoeur.

Jolicoeur’s mother passed away from suicide in the summer of 2022. He says Young’s music was a ‘comfort’ to her and himself. Jolicouer got to see Young in concert for the first time when he was four.

The letter was posted to social media on Wednesday and had almost 200 shares on Facebook, tagging the renowned artist.

The show is set for Feb. 22 at Market Hall. Tickets are $40 (plus $4 for ticket office fees) and are available online.

The concert has a house band boasting a large handful of Peterborough’s best performing at the event. The Weber Brothers, Melissa Payne, Nicholas Campbell, Austin Carson, Carling Campbell, Beth Anne Pelow on Sax, Tony Silvestri, Lindsay Barr and the artistry of Jason Wilkins Art & Creative Inc. are showcased at the event.

The event’s fundraising goal is $10,000 annually over a five-year span to raise a total of $50,000. Proceeds go to the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Assertive Outreach Suicide Prevention program.

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9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline Launched Nationwide With CMHA HKPR As Local Provider

The Canadian Mental Health Association Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge’s (CMHA HKPR) new 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline has launched and is available nationwide as one of 40 national 9-8-8 partners announced on Thursday.

TRACY GRAHAM, CMHA DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS AND SERVICES during the initial announcement of the suicide crisis helpline at the Peterborough and the Kawartha Chamber of Commerce. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

“We are incredibly excited about the launch of 9-8-8 and a proud partner,"“ said Mark Graham, CMHA HKPR CEO. “Individuals in crisis now have access to a three-digit, easy-to-remember number for support available to them 24/7. We believe this will have a huge impact on access to support in our region and across Canada.”

9-8-8 is for anyone across Canada thinking of suicide or who is worried about someone they know. CMHA HKPR will have six 9-8-8 responders on standby to listen and provide confidential support without judgment and are available 24/7.

Individuals calling from a local area code in Peterborough, Haliburton, Northumberland, or Kawartha Lakes, will be routed to local call takers at the CMHA HKPR call center in downtown Peterborough and connected with local supports.

CMHA HKPR’s Four County Crisis, widely known as ‘4CC’, has been rebranded into the Integrated Crisis Intervention Services Model. Individuals who are experiencing thoughts of suicide or emotional distress or who are worried about someone they know can now call 9-8-8 instead of Four County Crisis.

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CMHA HKPR Becomes Provider For National Suicide Crisis Helpline Launching On Nov. 30

The Canadian Mental Health Association Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (CMHA HKPR) will be a local provider for the new 9-8-8 National Suicide Crisis Helpline launching on Nov. 30.

Tracy Graham, CMHA Director of Programs and Services (left); Ellen Watkins, CMHA Director of Corporate Services (middle) and Mark Graham, CMHA CEO. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The progrma launch officially starts at 3 a.m. on Nov. 30. Anyone can can call or text 9-8-8 to access the helpline.

“We are thrilled to announce that we have been selected as one of nearly 45 national providers for the new 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline, which will launch on November 30th, 2023,” said Mark Graham, CMHA CEO.

The helpline has been federally funded nationwide for $156 million. It is for anyone in Canada thinking of suicide or those concerned of someone contemplating it. CMHA will have six 9-8-8 responders on standby to listen and provide confidential support without judgement and are available 24/7.

9-8-8 is a national helpline but anyone calling from a local area code in Peterborough, Haliburton, Northumberland, Kawartha Lakes and surrounding Six Nations reserves (Curve Lake, Hiwartha, Scugog and Alderville) will be routed to local call takers at the CMHA HKPR call center in downtown Peterborough.

As a result of the helping, CMHA HKPR’s Four County Crisis — widely known as ‘4CC’ — has been rebranded and is growing into the Integrated Crisis Intervention Services Model. Individuals who are experiencing thoughts of suicide or emotional distress, or who are worried about someone they know, can now call 9-8-8 instead of Four County Crisis.

It becomes the direct line for their Safe Beds program and after-hours housing support. If individuals call the line (705-745-6484) in crisis, they will receive a message to hang up and call 9-8-8.

“Through our strategic planning process, we learned that our community, clients, and staff were all looking for an easier to navigate crisis system with the opportunity for more meaningful connections,” said Graham. “With the launch of the new helpline, we will also be restructuring our current crisis services to provide easier to navigate, streamlined crisis support to individuals in Peterborough and County, Northumberland, Kawartha Lakes, and Haliburton.”

The Model includes adding an additional eight Brief Services Mental Health Workers who will be distributed across the four counties. It also includes moving the Safe Beds facility from a residential neighborhood to downtown Peterborough and increasing bed capacity at Safe Beds with an opportunity for transitional housing according to a press release.

Individuals who are looking to access Safe Beds can call 705-745-6484. Community partners can send referrals for Safe Beds to safebeds@cmhahkpr.ca.

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Douro Boxer Cody Crowley Fundraising $55K For Suicide Prevention To Honour Father's Memory

Boxer Cody Crowley is pledging to raise $55,000 for Team 55: Let’s Tackle Suicide Awareness in honour of his late father ahead of his 22nd professional fight on March 25 in Las Vegas.

Photo courtesy of Addison Brown.

The 21-0-0 Crowley is scheduled to box Abel Ramos in a 12-round World Boxing Council (WBC) title elimination fight at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. The Douro boxer has dedicated the fight to honour his late father Jim Crowley who passed away last year.

The ‘55 for 55’ fundraising raffle features prizes such as dinner for Dr. J’s BBQ & Brews, WBC-signed gloves from boxing legends such as Julio Cesar Chavez, Roberto Duran, Gerry Cooney, a One With Life tequila package and a grand prize for a round-trip flight, accommodations and ringside seats to see Cody’s fight.

Photo courtesy of Addison Brown.

Raffle tickets are available at Dr. J’s with a limited amount left with the deadline at 6 p.m. Wednesday and the draw at 7 p.m. Cody will make a virtual appearance at the drawing to talk about his upcoming fight and the fundraiser according to Dr. J’s owner Addison Brown.

The two have been friends for roughly eight years and have supported each other through similar times.

“When he was looking for sponsorships throughout Peterborough, I reached out to him saying ‘I’ve been following you and growing up as an athlete, I’ve had a lot of support with the community and I wanted to sponsor you for the next fight,’” explained Brown. “We grew and developed a relationship. He helped me when I was going through some things about my brother and I did with his father.”

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World Suicide Prevention Day Creates Hope Through Action

The Canadian Mental Health Association of Haliburton, Kawartha and Pine Ridge (CMHAHKPR) and The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention is hosting an online vigil to honour World Suicide Prevention Day on Friday.

(left to right) Janet McCue, her great-niece Maddy, Kelly Curtis, Deb Sandeman and Maryam Monsef (Peterborough-Kawartha MP) at The Silver Bean Café on Thursday. Photo by Angela O’Grady.

The theme of this year’s service is creating hope through action.

CMHAHKPR promoted the event at The Silver Bean Café on Thursday.

Curve Lake resident Janet McCue performed a welcoming song called ‘All Directions’ and was joined by her great-niece Maddy.

McCue performs a welcoming song at The Silver Bean Café on Thursday with her great niece Maddy. Photo courtesy of Angela O’Grady.

CMHAHKPR hopes that World Suicide Prevention Day will lessen the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health and encourage people to seek help if they need it.

“Ideally we want to reduce the number of suicides and reduce the stigma around suicides,” said Deb Sandeman, Suicide Prevention Program CMHAHKPR member. “We hope that people realize there is support out there, there is specific programs aimed at improving mental health and reducing suicides.”

CMHAHKPR member Kelly Curtis says World Suicide Prevention Day is aimed at getting people more comfortable with talking about suicide.

“Being there for people and being able to say ‘are you ok’ is so important,” said Curtis. “Understanding how to reach resources is something we really want to promote.”

In lieu of an in-person candlelit vigil, this year’s participants are invited to light a candle in their window at 8:00 p.m. on Friday.

To register for the online vigil, click here.

For more information on mental health resources in Peterborough and the surrounding area, click here.

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Local Man Creates Virtual Fitness Challenge For Mental Health Awareness

Joe Keating of Peterborough has created the 4,000 Reps for Mental Health Awareness virtual fitness challenge to raise mental health awareness on Saturday.

Joe Keating ran the campaign saying working on mental health is as important as physical health. Photo Courtesy of Joe Keating.

Keating will perform 4,000 kettlebell swings on his front lawn (weather pending) live on Messenger Rooms — 1,000 times an hour for four hours — and encourages anyone to join.

The 4,000 reps can be anything so long as participants are physically active. Running 4,000 steps, jumping jacks or jump rope skips as some of many alternative exercises Keating suggests for the challenge.

He was diagnosed with clinical depression in 2015. He struggled and had a hard time with it before reaching out. Keating’s doctor advised him to do more physical activity to help him cope with his illness.

“I’m a certified kettlebell instructor,” he said. “It’s my go-to exercise. If I had a bad day, it’s something I can pick up, swing it and bang out a couple of reps to feel better.”

The pandemic has limited physical activity options and the event is another outlet to exercise according to Joe. Photo Courtesy of Joe Keating.

The campaign’s goal is to help erase the stigma of having a mental illness and open up a conversation about having one without feeling shame.

“I’ve always been very open about it,” said Keating. “Some people still seem to be too afraid to still talk about it and not talking about it can lead down to a dark path like suicide.”

There are approximately 4,000 suicides annually in Canada which is why the event encourages that many reps according to Keating.

Alexis Keating, 11, Joe’s daughter, will participate with her own kettlebell lifts for the event. Photo Courtesy of Joe Keating.

When the event was put on social media, the response was overwhelmingly positive in ways Keating had not anticipated.

“It was way bigger than what I was expecting. “ he said. “I thought it was going to be with family and friends and in my close-knit group. I have people from Vegas, Calgary and a team from Montreal going.”

If the event is successful, it could become an annual challenge that could include fundraising said Keating.

The free event will run on April 24 at 10:00 a.m. Head to the event’s Facebook Page for more details.

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Adam Scott Senior Football Team Hosting BBQ To Build Awareness Around Suicide Prevention

More on Team 55 here, and they're on Facebook here.

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