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
