Imagine Mental Health Matters is quickly becoming a household phrase in Niverville, and that’s exactly what this not-for-profit organization is after. What better way to eliminate the stigma attached to mental illness than to get everyone talking about it?
On Wednesday, September 21, the Imagine team attempted something altogether different to get people talking. They involved the community in their fundraising and anti-stigma efforts by hosting One Big Day for Imagine.
The all-day event began at 9:00 a.m. on the Niverville Credit Union parking lot where community “celebrities” were individually hoisted to the top of a 40-foot boom on a scissor lift donated by Peak Renovations. Armed with only a cell phone, each participant was given an opportunity to contact family, friends, and neighbours to make the necessary donations to get them down again. The catch? Each donator could decide whether their financial contribution would send the participant higher, bring them down, or spin them around.
“I think the funniest part of the day was when Denver Wieler pledged for Willie [Schroeder] and took it upon himself to give Willie a shake up in the boom,” says Jazmin Dobson of the Imagine team.
Local celebrities who came forward to face their fear of heights included Carl Fast, Willie Schroeder, Clarence Braun, John Schmitke, Keith Bueckert, Ferd Klassen, and Niverville mayor Myron Dyck. Though each participant managed to bring in hundreds of dollars in donations, Ferd Klassen took the lead with a whopping $3,500 raised.
The purpose of this event was to raise awareness and offset the $30,000 costs of the Imagine Run held every year at Hespeler Park. Onsite to promote the event were Country 107.7, Mix 96, AM1250, and CHVN radio stations.
Approximately 200 people attended the Main Street event, enjoying cinnamon buns and coffee donated by Slice of Life and a barbecue lunch donated by Wm. Dyck & Sons and Bigway Foods. Anya’s Hair Studio donated all of the proceeds from their morning’s business to Imagine while Niverville Chicken Chef donated $5 from every large pizza sold. At the end of the day, the Imagine team raised $11,000 in support of mental health and suicide prevention.
“We are amazed and overwhelmed,” says Dobson. “We did not advertise much, as we weren’t sure of the response we would receive.”
