A park bench is donated to Peacekeeper’s Park in Angus, ON. Present for the ribbon cutting ceremony is (from left to right) Terry Dowdall, Essa Township Mayor, Barb Jacklin, Simcoe County Suicide Awareness Council, Aleta Armstrong, Simcoe County Suicide Awareness Council, Sandi Macdonald, Essa Township Deputy Mayor, Keith White, Ward One councillor, Essa Township, Bernadette Copeland, Chair of the Simcoe County Suicide Awareness Council, Sheldon Walker, Simcoe County Suicide Awareness Council and Christine Kelsey, Simcoe County Suicide Awareness Council.
Today in Canada 10 people will end their lives by suicide; up to 200 others will attempt to.
Monday, September 10 marked World Suicide Prevention Day, a day for members of various communities to join together to promote understanding about suicide and highlight effective prevention actions.
To mark this important day, the Simcoe County Suicide Awareness Council donated a bench located at Peacekeeper’s Park in Angus, ON.
The Simcoe County Suicide Awareness Council had previously collaborated with CFB Borden and other community members to organize a march for suicide and mental wellbeing awareness. Because of the great success of the event and the outpouring of support the Simcoe County Suicide Awareness Council received from CFB Borden and its servicemen and women, the council decided to donate the bench and have it coincide with World Suicide Prevention Day.
“The theme of ‘working together to prevent suicide,’ is a call out to everyone in the community to join together to promote understanding about suicide and highlight effective prevention activities,” Bernadette Copeland, Chair of the Simcoe County Suicide Awareness Council commented. “Together we can spread the message of hope, of help and of healing.”
The evening included words offered from various community leaders, a smudging ceremony for the guests in attendance, along with a smudge of the bench itself to promote spiritual wellbeing and positivity, the official ribbon cutting of the bench, music from a local artist and light refreshments.
Representing CFB Borden’s Health Promotion team, Carrie Ehnisz took the opportunity to say a few words regarding this important event.
“ Given the ongoing concern within the Canadian Armed Forces regarding suicide education and prevention, my role as a Health Promotion Specialist is to provide training tailored to a military environment that focuses on early prevention, leadership, involvement, reducing stigma and early identification of mental health issues,” Ehnisz said. “We also work tirelessly at promoting resources and assistance for our military and defence team communities. Events such as these assist in our goal of promoting our resources, while giving community members a location to remember how deeply suicide impacts everyone.”
If you are visiting Peacekeeper’s Park in Angus, take a moment to visit this lovely location.
