Heather Latter
The Sorting Gap Marina was aglow last Wednesday evening as almost 200 participants took part in the fourth-annual “Steps Against Stigma,” which has been growing in size each year since its inception.
Organizers from the local Canadian Mental Health Association see it as a positive step in breaking down barriers and reducing the stigma around mental illness.
“People are on board with what it’s all about,” enthused Christina Hahkala, who helped run the event along with Kristi Albright and Nancy Daley Fulton.
“The stigma of the ‘Stigma’ run itself is becoming non-existent,” echoed Albright.
This year’s 1K and 5K walk/run was held for the first time in the evening—and the “glow” theme was an overwhelming success.
“We had almost 200 people out,” Albright said, noting that number was up significantly from the roughly 120 who took part last year, and about 75 the previous year, when the events were held on Saturday mornings.
“I think everyone was really into the night-time glow theme,” agreed Hahkala.
They also noted it was a really diverse crowd, with participants of all ages—and even several dogs on hand.
“The dogs were glowing, too,” enthused Daley Fulton.
And considering how cold and windy it was along the waterfront that evening, they are calling the participants “troopers.”
“It was amazing,” Daley Fulton remarked, noting they had a really good show—probably the biggest yet—of their own members this year.
“And it’s about them,” Albright reasoned. “It’s why we do what we do.”
The trio said they wanted to try something different than the Saturday morning event this year “to change things up.”
“We wanted to keep people’s weekends free,” Daley Fulton noted.
“And we wanted to reach as many people as we can,” said Albright. “We thought maybe we’d get more people in the evening.”
They realize there are other activities going on in the evenings, too, which is why they were so thrilled with the turnout.
They also were pleased to see people get so creative with the “glow” theme.
“There were some wild costumes,” said Daley Fulton. “It was awesome to see how people really embraced [it].
“I think adults really like to do stuff like that,” she added.
“That’s what makes it so fun.”
The awards for “best glow” went to local resident Colleen Fawcett (adult) and Haleigh Boshey of Lac La Croix (child).
Other door prizes were also handed out.
And with next year being the fifth-annual event, organizers indicated they have plans to make it bigger and better.
“We’re going to step it up to bring it to that next level,” Albright vowed.
“We do realize there were a few glitches but we’ll work those out,” she promised, though adding she expects they will keep next year’s event in the evening.
“We’re going to make some changes to keep things running a little smoother,” echoed Hahkala.
For instance, there was a long lineup out the door since about half of the participants did not register in advance.
“We understand that is going to happen because of the weather,” Albright conceded.
“And we want to keep it flexible because we want everyone to be able to be included in it,” she explained.
“We want to keep everyone happy and have things move a little faster,” Daley Fulton agreed.
“We’ll change a couple things and make it better so there’s not as much waiting around.”
Safety during the event also was a priority, with road construction in the area, as well as previous bear sightings.
“We had vehicles parked all the way through to the end with their lights on, just to ensure that nobody was going to run into a bear or missing sidewalks,” Daley Fulton noted.
She also didn’t get the time she wanted in order to stress what the run was about because people were getting cold.
“People were freezing and you couldn’t hear her because of the wind,” Albright said.
“But we had some points we really wanted to get across,” Daley Fulton noted, adding she hopes everyone who participated understood the reason for the run.
It’s always held the first week of October because it is Mental Illness Awareness Week.
“Stigma is a mark of disgrace that sets a person apart,” Daley Fulton explained. “When a person is labelled by their illness, they are seen as part of a stereotyped group.
“Negative attitudes create prejudice, which leads to negative actions and discrimination.”
She stressed everyone has a role in creating a mentally healthy community that supports recovery and social inclusion.
“Our goal is about raising awareness, and to help minimize and break the barriers that surround stigma,” Daley Fulton said, noting mental illness affects more than six million people across the country—or one-in-five Canadians.
“Unfortunately, many Canadians with mental illness will not seek the help they need and society continues to remain unaware of the significant burden mental illness places on us all,” she warned.
Daley Fulton added they want to educate the public and health-care practitioners on the importance of early recognition, proper diagnosis, and effective medical treatment.
“By doing so, individuals with mental illness are capable of leading rewarding and productive lives,” she remarked.
“It’s not about making money—it’s never been about that,” Albright stressed, noting the registration fee just helps cover their costs.
“It’s all about awareness.”
The trio thanked all the volunteers, sponsors, the local CMHA staff, and the participants for contributing to the successful event.
“We couldn’t do it without the support of the community,” Hahkala said.
“It’s tiring but fun, and we make a good team,” she added about the three organizers.
