CAMBRIDGE – The Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington (CMHA WW) recognized World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) on Sept. 10 this year. The theme was “creating hope through action”.
In honour of September being Suicide Prevention Month, Ken Debney and his family will be hosting their 10th and final annual Suicide Prevention Day fundraiser on Sept. 15 from 7 to 11pm at the Cambridge Newfoundland Club.
The Debney family hosts the fundraiser in memory of Gordon Clarke Debney, who suffered silently with depression and lost his battle on Aug. 21, 2014, three weeks before his 30th birthday.
Ken and his wife and daughter were planning a birthday party for Gordon before their lives all changed drastically.
“In the days after, we decided we were going to go ahead with this party. We were going to celebrate a life,” added Ken.
After having raffles at Gordon’s party, it dawned on the family to do a fundraiser every year for suicide prevention and awareness.
The family decided that after ten years, it is time to shift focus onto Gordon’s nephews and spend more time and energy toward them. It is something they said Gordon would gladly encourage them to do.
“It doesn’t stop us from continuing along with the messaging as well. In fact, if somebody else starts up a fundraiser next year for this, I’d be the first one to sign up to help with it,” said Ken.
The fundraiser
Over the past few years, Ken said their fundraiser has increased from about 50 participants to nearly 200.
It is a licensed event, so all attendees must be age of majority.
There will be raffles at the event and the grand prize is a Nintendo Switch bundle with a $700 value.
Entry tickets to the event are $20 each and will give an automatic entry into the grand prize and door prize as well as give access to the event.
Feature prize tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20, but do not replace the event’s entry tickets. Attendance is also not mandatory to win the featured prizes.
For more event, prize and ticket information visit the event’s Facebook page.
If you are suffering or you know anybody who is, contact Here 24/7, operated by CMHA WW (cmhaww.ca or here247.ca) OR 1 844 HERE 247 (1 844 437 3247) TTY: 1-877-688-5501.
