Walk For Courage logo
The fourth annual Walk for Courage in support of the Canadian Mental Health Association Grey Bruce is set to go next month.
CMHA Communications and Fund Development Manager Don Vail says the five kilometre walk on July 19 brings attention to mental health and suicide prevention in the region.
“It started in memory of Jeff Courage who died by suicide in 2019 and his parents Greg and Tawnia Courage, in partnership with CMHA Grey Bruce, wanted to raise awareness and support the local mental health programs and they launched the walk,” says Vail.
Over the past three years, the walk has been held in Owen Sound, but this year it is being expanded to Hanover.
“We are going to have two in-person locations. Of course Owen Sound at Owen Sound Fitness and Training, also this year it’s going to take place in Hanover, just outside Hanover at Sulphur Spring Conservation Area and we have even added a virtual option,” says Vail.
Vail adds the expansion comes as the event has grown in popularly each year.
“We know that mental health affects all of us here in Grey Bruce, we know the size of Grey and Bruce as well and we know that other communities want to get involved, and that is why we felt it was necessary to expand into Hanover,” says Vail.
He says based on how this walk goes in Hanover, they hope to expand it further into other communities in the region.
The event also operates as a fundraiser for the CMHA Grey Bruce, which Vail says will go to support the organization’s various programs.
“Including early education for kids, there is teen support programs and athletic wellness program, adult and workplace mental health training, there is crisis response training like safeTALK and ASIST,” says Vail.
More details about the event can be found on the CMHA website here.
