By Angela Brown

Cody Duhaime Memorial Walk sees strong support

Sep 10, 2018 | 10:00 AM

Family and area residents taking part in the Cody Duhaime Memorial Walk in Meota raised more than $20,000 Sunday for mental health awareness and suicide prevention.

Cody Duhaime passed away in 2015 at the age of 19 while attending college in the United States. His family started the annual walk in his memory in an effort to increase awareness about the issue of mental health and suicide prevention.

Funds raised from the event benefit the Cody Duhaime Memorial Fund to support programming in the Battlefords area. Cody’s grandmother Sylvia Duhaime, of Meota, helped organize the event and said there was good participation for the walk, and support for the silent auction.

She said just over 100 people registered for the five-kilometre walk, a few more than last year. The event raised about $21,000 from the walk, donations and the silent auction, an increase of $4,000 from the previous year.

“There was an excellent turnout, we were so lucky the weather held,” Sylvia Duhaime said.

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Cody’s father Keith Duhaime said he hopes the walk, now in its second year, will help the Battlefords and area community.

During the winter, several young people in the Battlefords lost their lives to suicide. Keith Duhaime said the family recognizes how the issue impacts many families.

“We’re doing this walk to raise awareness and have people come and show support for something that’s affected the whole community,” he said. “We know a lot of people it has affected. We lost a lot of young people in this district, way too many.”

Duhaime said the walk was not just a memorial, but to increase awareness.

“Money we raise we want to donate to local functions, whether to bring in speakers or set up new hotlines,” he said. “Our goal is, if we can save one life it is worthwhile doing this … All donations will go back to the community.”

Duhaime hopes the walk will help people at risk know that help is available, that there are people they can call if they are in distress and need to talk to someone.

September 6 marked the anniversary of his son Cody’s death, and Duhaime said the family continues to grieve and mourn the loss.

“You try to cope,” Keith Duhaime said. “You talk to family, and keep people closer, and close to you.”

Angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW

by Angela Brown

Cody Duhaime Memorial Walk sees strong support

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