By Ryan Crocker

The third annual Andrew Dunn Memorial Walk, Run, and Ride was held at Birds Hill Park on May 9 and, despite poor weather, all involved are hailing it as a success.

The event honours the memory of Andrew Dunn, who lost his battle with depression and took his own life in 2006.

“The weather certainly played with our event this year but we knew it was just a matter of time that we would have snow – after all, it is Manitoba!” said Judy Dunn of the Andrew Dunn Foundation. As his mother, the event is always as emotional for her as it is enjoyable. “At least there wasn’t torrential rain and there was no tornado spotted. Other than the weather, we feel it went awesome! We had some wonderful, hardy people attending this year and this just shows us and reaffirms their commitment to our cause.”

Dunn was especially pleased to see how the event continues to grow year after year. Among this year’s participants were Provencher MP Vic Toews, provincial Minister of Healthy Living Keri Irvin-Ross, Mood Disorders Association of Manitoba Executive Director Tara Brousseau, and Mental Health Director Sharon Bissonnette of the North Eastman Health Association. Springfield MLA Ron Schuler was unable to attend but ensured a representative brought greetings on his behalf.

“This was really a very positive day!” Dunn said. “We were also happy Doug Brown from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers was able to make an appearance, sign a few autographs, and sign a few of our t-shirts!”

Others in attendance included Ace Burpee of Hot 103 Live, who served as master of ceremonies, and entertainers Fred Penner, Diamond Doug Keith, and Big Daddy Tazz.

Dunn said the feedback she received from participants was great.

“We had nothing but great feedback,” Dunn said. “We also received a few suggestions from our volunteers about how to make our event bigger and better next year, which we always appreciate. We are still learning and we want people to want to come out, not just to feel as though they should.”

All of the money raised this year will benefit the Mood Disorders Association of Manitoba (MDAM). The Andrew Dunn Foundation and the MDM are working closely to produce public awareness advertisements for television and support other public awareness campaigns.

“We want to play a part in continuing educational programs as well as supporting suicide awareness campaigns,” Dunn said. “We hope to support and be a part of creating a youth-oriented website addressing depression and suicide. We will also continue to support our community with the Andrew Dunn Memorial Award for Springfield Collegiate Institute graduates and the Royal School Year-End Award.”

Dunn said they’re also planning a new award for the Springfield Middle School and will continue to support Changes Clubhouse in Beausejour.

The final total raised through this year’s Andrew Dunn Memorial Walk, Run, and Ride has not yet been determined as additional donations are arriving from would-be participants who were unable to attend due to poor weather.

Anyone interested in making a donation can send a cheque payable to the Andrew Dunn Memorial Fund or the Mood Disorders Association of Manitoba to the Andrew Dunn Memorial Fund, c/o Judy Dunn, P.O. Box 26, Group 23, RR2, Dugald, MB, R0E 0K0. Supporters who want a tax receipt should ensure to include their name and mailing address with their donation.

Dunn expressed her gratitude to all of the volunteers, planning committee members, and Springfield Kinsmen who helped as well as to supporters and sponsors like the Oakbank Co-op, Winnipeg Old Country Sausage, Sobeys, Safeway, Manitoba Hydro, Pharmasave, the Rural Municipality of Springfield, Pauwels Canada, Oakbank Family Fare, Oakbank Insurance, Kildonan Orthodontists, Cropo, Ivor Asham, Birds Hill Park, Springfield Collegiate Institute, Poplar Press, and the Running Room.

“I hope I am not forgetting anyone,” Dunn added. “The most wonderful thing that has happened over the past three years of holding this event is that we have so many individuals and businesses to thank now.”

Dunn also expressed her gratitude to Louis Gmiterek of Twilite Productions noting he managed to make her cry by remembering and granting a wish she made in the past. She also praised Jord Balinski, son of the Andrew Dunn Foundation’s Brenda Balinski, for designing this year’s t-shirts.

For more information about Andrew Dunn, the foundation, or the event, visit www.andrewdunn.org or call Judy Dunn at 444-5228. She also welcomes calls from anyone who is living with a mental illness and just needs someone to talk to.

Taken from: Beausejour Review

Hello all! We thought we should up-date you as to where we are in regard to the Andrew Dunn Memorial Walk/Run/Ride. We have not gone into hibernation for the winter!

We just got together for the first time on October 25th, 2008 to meet with interested individuals to form our annual fundraising event committees. This is a brand new step for Brenda and me. Up until now we have done all of the pre-walk preparations on our own. (OK Brenda has!) We could not have done it without the wonderful support of all of our awesome volunteers on the day of the walk and of course the tremendous turnouts we have had both in 2007 and 2008. We were able to raise over $13,500 in 2007 and over $16,000 last year on May 10th 2008 on Andrew’s 25th Birthday.

MORE >>

By Ryan Crocker
Friday, May 16, 2008

A full year has passed since the first-ever Andrew Dunn Memorial Walk and, as the event got underway for the second time last weekend, it was obvious it was going to be even bigger.

The walk and the Andrew Dunn Foundation responsible for it are both named in memory of an an intelligent, handsome, and popular young man who battled depression for years. On Dec. 12, 2006, Andrew made a final choice the loved ones he left behind know in their hearts he’d never have made if not for mental illness – he took his own life.

“I really thought our event this year went pretty well, except for the cold wind – which was not my fault because that was not the weather order that I placed!” Judy Dunn, Andrew’s mother, said, noting this year’s event attracted almost twice as many people as last year’s. “We are really happy to see our event growing.”

Dunn said that as she went around Birds Hill Park putting up signs marking the route at 8 a.m., there were already a number of volunteers out and about helping – including the Kinsmen. Watching these volunteers help out was heartwarming for Dunn even though the event, no matter how successful, will always be equally heartbreaking.

“I had to leave again to check my signs but really I had to leave because I couldn’t talk to anyone… because of tears that were welling up in my eyes and a lump that completely filled my throat,” Dunn explained, noting the May 10 event would’ve been Andrew’s twenty-fifth birthday – and still was, in a bittersweet sense. “I am totally committed to our cause but, unfortunately, at the end of a very difficult day, no matter how successful it is, Andrew is still not coming back and that’s a hard fact to come to terms with.”

She still found the strength to participate fully in the event and shared a smile and even a laugh numerous times with family, friends, and participants. One of the highlights of the event for all involved was a warm-up session led by Ace Burpee, a Cook’s Creek native who hosts a popular radio show on Winnipeg’s Hot 103 – and Dunn smiled and laughed with her son Robert as they copied Burpee’s unusual exercises.

“He is the reason I still wake up every morning,” Dunn said. Her dear friend Brenda Balinski, also a cornerstone of the Andrew Dunn Foundation, has a son as well, Jordan, and Burpee gave him a pat on the back for designing a t-shirt for the event. Some of the t-shirts, where appropriate, featured the slogan, “Andrew’s got my back” on the back.

“He is taking graphic arts in college, but already has a natural, God-given talent that a school course alone could not have created,” Dunn said. “Jord was the one who built the Lego Castle around Andrew’s ashes from Andrew’s own Legos. Andrew was Transformer crazy as a little guy so we know he definitely approves of the design. We are selling the rest.”
In addition to the warm-up session with Burpee (who has expressed his willingness to help out annually), participants seemed to enjoy just about everything.

“The feedback so far has all been very positive, which is encouraging. Apparently there were some coffee drinkers in the crowd because Tim Horton’s ran out! We have heard rave reviews of the burgers that were donated by the Co-op in Oakbank and expertly barbecued by the Kinsmen,” Dunn said.

In the end, Dunn is certain last year’s total of $13,500 will be exceeded this year.

“That is wonderful news,” she said, noting last year’s money was donated to the Health Sciences Centre Foundation for an annual educational event, the Andrew Dunn Symposium; and some was used for scholarships and plaques, which were given to deserving students making a difference in their community.

“We partnered this year’s event with the Mood Disorders Association of Manitoba (MDAM),” Dunn added, “I started working for MDAM last fall and have been very impressed with the work that they do on a very limited budget – as do most mental health initiatives, still a silent illness and killer due to stigma. I felt very comfortable that they could help us continue to make a difference on the road to successful recovery from depression and a suicide awareness and education campaign.”
This year Dunn also provided certificates to participants and the Running Room provided medals to those who participated in the running portion of the event.

“We also went with a blue ribbon campaign, which was started in the States, where we handed out one Blue Ribbon to each person that read, ‘Who I Am Makes A Difference’, to let them know they were making a difference. And, then, we handed them another one and requested they hand that one out to a person in their life that makes a difference to them.”

Dunn said all the support she has received over the past several years, both personally and as a representative of the Andrew Dunn Foundation, has left her with more people to give blue ribbons to than she possibly could.

“I have so many people that I would like to hand those thoughts out to but I really must hand one of those out to two very important people who have definitely made a huge difference in my life – when I have not always been much fun to be around,” Dunn said. “Firstly, Brenda Balinski for being there when most would have run for the hills to avoid the pain and sadness that has been hovering over me for the last 17 months, and for her genuine compassion for the cause that we work on together – and she really does do most of the work!”

Dunn noted one out of three people will experience a mental health issue over the course of their lives and there is one suicide every other day in this province.

“Brenda and I both see how really serious this issue is to everyone, whether they know it or not,” Dunn said, adding her son Robert is the other person she had to mention specifically.

For more information about the Andrew Dunn Foundation, visit its website at www.andrewdunn.org

Please come out to support us, by walking, running, biking, rollerblading, or horseback on a 1-5 km course or a 5 & 10 k fun run.

Saturday, May 10th, 2008 • Birds Hill Park @ The Ranch

Registration @ 9:00 a.m. (rain or shine)
Walk/run/ride @ 10:00 a.m.
EMCEE – Ace Burpee SILENT AUCTION • BBQ PRIZES

Call Judy @ 444-5228 or Brenda @ 444-5771

Thank you for your continued support – each step getting us closer to better managing this disease – “Depression”

• in partnership with the Mood Disorders Assoc. of MB
• 5 & 10 k run sponsored by the Running Room

$500.00 donated to Changes Club House, Beausejour, went towards individuals suffering with mental health issues where they can drop in and feel comfortable in a non-threatening and non-judgmental environment to support one another.

Guidance office at Royal School, Winnipeg (Andrew’s Elementary School) - $100.00 to be used to purchase mental health related resources.

SCI $500.00 award given to a graduate student (2007) who went that extra mile to help someone in need and has shown care and compassion to others.

HSC Foundation - $13,465.00 will go towards supporting the organization of a Symposium that focuses on topics specific to mood disorders, or suicide. The Symposium will be held yearly in Andrew’s name. The Andrew Dunn Symposia will feature guest speakers to present to consumers, families, students and professionals working with individuals experiencing mental health issues. An annual Symposium creates increased education opportunities for persons who are living with mental health issues, individuals who work with them or those who love and support them. This will also be done in an effort to increase awareness and reduce stigma.

Please help us to help others. Join us for the 2nd Annual “Andrew Dunn Memorial Walk” to be held Saturday, May 10, 2008 at “The Ranch” in Beautiful Birds Hill Park.

SEE YOU THERE!

Dear Andrew,

As your 1^st year “Angel Date” draws ever so near

11 months 29 days worth of mornings I wake up still not believing you’re not here

That December night, I live over and over, not remembering the snow or even the cold

For the tears were the snowflakes and the cold that I felt was deep within

You were only 23 years old

When I feel my heart breaking in two

One side for your brother and one side for you

That’s when your spirit and energy show me, you’re everlasting and near

I love you forever Andrew, I will love you always my dear

So that’s why I promise as long as on this earth I belong

That I will do everything within my power to help you live on

Just as the stars are not visible in the light of the day

We still know they exist and we’ll see them again in some way

I miss you everyday

Andrew

Love always and forever,

Mom

Just want to let everyone know that, by request we are having the 2^nd Annual Andrew Dunn Memorial Walk/Run on Saturday, May 10^th, 2008 (Andrew’s 25^th Birthday).

If you are interested in volunteering or attending you can email Brenda at balinski@mts.net  or call (204) 444-5771 or phone Judy at 444-3536, as we are hoping to set up a committee after the holidays.

For those of you who are interested in lighting a candle in honour of all children who have died, please read the following that was in Compassionate Friends’ Newsletter.

On December 9/2007 World Wide Candle Lighting – 7:00 p.m. in all time zones.

Everyone in every time zone around the world is invited to light a candle in honour of all children who have died, that their light may always shine.

As candles go out in one time zone, they will be lit in the next, creating a wave of light that will encircle the globe.

Visit the TCF/USA website, www.compassionatefriends.org on that day and share your thoughts on their memorial page, as you light your candles and observe this quiet time.

Community support enables battle against mental illness to continue

Bird’s Hill Park Ranch now has a tree and granite memorial stone honouring the young man who, through his battle with depression, inspired the Andrew Dunn Foundation.

Judy Dunn and Brenda Balinski handed over a cheque to the HSC Foundation, money raised through the first-ever Andrew Dunn Memorial Walk/Run (above, right). Pictured are, from left: Judy Dunn, Brenda Balinski, Robert Dunn, and F. Lynn Bishop.

Brenda Balinski of the Andrew Dunn Foundation snapped these two photos of students receiving the foundations awards. Anjelique DaCosta (far left) was honoured at Springfield Collegiate Institute’s graduation ceremoney while Dani Petras took home the honours at Royal Elementary School in Charleswood.

They used to say behind every great man there’s a great woman and, although the expression has generally fallen from grace these days, there are still certain circumstances where no expression could possibly be more appropriate.
Ask anyone who knew and loved him and they’ll proudly tell you the late Andrew Dunn was a great man and his mother, Judy Dunn, holds an equally special place in many hearts. She stood behind her son establishing the Andrew Dunn Foundation and organizing the Andrew Dunn Memorial Walk. Working together with dear friend Brenda Balinski, the two were finally able to witness the first fruits of their labours over the past month.

“On June 20, we were delighted to hand the HSC Foundation a cheque for $13,465,” Dunn explained, noting the money was raised through the first annual Andrew Dunn Memorial Walk/Run earlier this year. “It was an emotional day, both elated at the success of our first effort and yet devastating at the knowledge of how it all came about. However, with my son Robert and my dear friend Brenda at my side, I made it through one more day and continue keeping my promise to Andrew.”

Dunn went on to detail some of the other work the Andrew Dunn Foundation has been doing, including awarding special honours to two exceptional students who are making a difference in their communities. One student was a Grade 6 graduate of Royal Elementary School in Charleswood, a school the Dunn family is very familiar with.

“We were able to award a sweet little girl, Dani Petras, a teddy bear with a gift certificate and a plaque for her caring and compassion towards her fellow classmates and others at the school - the same school that I attended, as well as Andrew and Robert,” Dunn explained. “Louise Burton, the boys’ Grade 1 teacher, was also in attendance to help present the award. An additional $100 cheque was also handed over to the guidance office and we are hoping to work with them to start an education and awareness program for students, as well as their parents and the teachers, on the devastating affects of depression and learning to spot the signs to successfully treat this disease.”

Balinski noted Petras accomplished a lot during her time at the school.

“Dani never gives up and works very hard. She is fully engaged in school activities, including all the sports and music activities.” Balinski explained. “She was a patrol and a member of the student leadership. She took the baby-sitting course and volunteered during school events to baby-sit small children.”

Less that 24 hours later, it was Anjelique DaCosta’s turn to receive the Andrew Dunn Foundation’s accolades.
“We attended Springfield Collegiate Institute’s graduation ceremony at the Winnipeg Convention Centre and, with Robert at my side and Brenda on camera duty, we were delighted to hand over a cheque for $500 and a plaque to Anjelique DaCosta,” Dunn explained. “The recipient of the award also met the criteria of being caring and compassionate to their fellow students and was chosen by the teachers.”

Balinski was equally impressed with DaCosta.

“Judy and I were both emotional when we heard as Anjelique has been dealing with depression and was brave and honest enough to talk to Manitoba Moments,” Balinski said. “Staff did not even know this. She is an amazing lady. She also helped us at the social by working the door all night with her family - actually, her entire family is amazing!”
Dunn said the emotional experience was only a tiny step but is overjoyed knowing all these tiny steps are moving her in the right direction. She went on to say the Andrew Dunn Foundation has agreed to participate in a radio-thon with the HSC Foundation in November and, also in the last few weeks, honoured Andrew with a special addition to Bird’s Hill Park.

“We just planted Andrew’s tree at the Bird’s Hill Park Ranch, along with a beautiful granite memorial marker donated by Cropo Funeral Chapel,” Dunn said. “The ranch is the location we have decided to go with for our annual walk so as to properly accommodate walkers, joggers, and bicycles, roller blades, even dog walkers, as well as horseback and buggies. With these wonderful facilities in our area, it would be a shame not to take full advantage of them every year.”
The work is satisfying for Dunn and everyone else involved with the Andrew Dunn Foundation but little means more than community support.

“After the SCI ceremony on June 27, I came home with so many feelings, emotions, and thoughts running through me only to have one more moment of tears,” Dunn began. “A lovely young woman came to my door and handed us a generous donation from the Hazelridge Women’s Ball Hockey Team and, yes, we will continue to take any and all donations, great or small, on behalf of the Andrew Dunn Memorial Fund because the battle has only just begun.”

Photos and story by Ryan Crocker, copyright SUN MEDIA

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”

Great tufts of soft, white poplar seeds lined the winding roads of Birds Hill Park last Sunday like countless tiny angels cheering on participants in the first annual Andrew Dunn Memorial Walk.

It was an event that attracted hundreds with a desire to tame mental illness - some struggling in silence themselves, others working tirelessly for a relative or friend, and still more continuing the battle in memory of a loved one. For a few hours on Mothers’ Day, though, they were all fighting together. All of them.

“I believe that Andrew wouldn’t have liked all this fuss with his name attached when he was alive, but we know that he was at the walk, we know that he approves of what we are doing” explained Judy Dunn, his mother. Andrew, though an intelligent, handsome, and popular young man, battled depression for years, and eventually disappeared behind the disease’s devastating symptoms. On Dec. 12, 2006, he made a final choice the love ones he left behind know in their hearts he’d never have made otherwise - he took his own life.

“Things have happened, coincidences - and things that should have never worked out came together with no real explanation. We know that he approves of what we are doing to help bring depression out of the shadows and, hopefully, help others to find other options available to them… it is our job to get rid of the stigma so others can come forward for help and find it.”

It’s difficult for Judy, who is still carrying some of the pieces of her life in her arms following the devastation mental illness brought into her family, into her heart. However, she doesn’t have to do it alone - and never will as long as Brenda Balinski is around.

“I have to tell you that if it was not for Brenda, with all her hard work and great skills, neither the social that allowed us to put on the walk nor the walk would have taken place this year, “ Judy said. “I could not have held up this soon after loosing Andrew. She also got AndrewDunn.org up and running, what a great job and wonderful friend. She won’t take the credit that she deserves but she really did all the work and don’t let her tell you otherwise.”

And, on Mothers’ Day, both women were able to enjoy the fruits of their labours. The first annual Andrew Dunn Memorial Walk inspired more than 200 people to walk, bicycle, or ride their horses - symbolic first steps in the Andrew Dunn Foundation’s battle to pull mental illness out of the darkness and do to it what it has done to far too many lives.

“We made about $15,000 from raffles, food, drinks, a 50/50 draw and sponsors from the walk. We are still collecting money and donations are still being accepted,” Brenda explained, noting she hopes people truly realize depression and mental illness are like any other diseases and need to be treated as best as possible. “The success of this walk means that we will now be able to make a difference. I hope that it has helped in some way to begin to remove the stigma of depression for some people - we have to start somewhere.”

What a start is was. Celebrity guest Ace Burpee, a Cook’s Creek native who hosts a popular radio show on Winnipeg’s Hot 103, stopped by to lead the enthusiastic crowd through a warm-up filled with laughter and cheer.

“I think Ace was great,” Brenda said. “I love that he did the warm-up and had everyone, including Judy and I, laughing. I already asked him if he would come back next year.”

Brenda was also struck by the family of another young person who lost their battle with mental illness.

Memorial Walk

Wearing t-shirts that said “For the love of Kaitlyn, get help when you need it”, they were a sight to behold.

“Wow….it was hard not to cry when reading it and seeing her beautiful young face. I told the family how beautiful it was. I want to do the same next year for Andrew.”

Another highlight for Judy was seeing her son Robert, joined by friends of Andrew’s, at the event.

“That meant an awful lot to me - poor Robert has to put up with all my love now,” she joked.

And then they all set out through Birds Hill Park, along roads lined with drifts of poplar seeds - as even more fluffy puffs of white weaved through the trees lifted by the wind.

Wind isn’t the only invisible force with the power to lift. The force that inspires Judy and Brenda to continue the battle, that motivates dozens and dozens of people to participate in a memorial walk, that empowers the Andrew Dunn Foundation - whatever you call it - has the power to lift people out of the dark depths of mental illness. It’s a power the foundation plans to put to good use.

If you are interested in making a donation or helping out in any way, don’t hesitate to call Brenda at 444-5771 or email her at balinski@mts.net. If you know what Judy and Brenda are going through, if you or someone in your life is struggling with depression and you need someone to talk to - Judy is a member of Compassionate Friends, a support group, and she’s more than willing to share a conversation. Just call 444-3536.

Photos and story by Ryan Crocker, copyright SUN MEDIA