Success and Contributions

Funds Raised by Journey To Hope Participants

These funds are being used to provide suicide awareness and prevention information for the community of Moose Jaw, SK and surrounding health region and school division.  Funds raised have been used in the following ways to date:

     2008/2009

• Provided curricula for counsellors
• "Warning Signs" information cards for youth
• Suicide awareness and prevention resources for teachers
• Supported suicide awareness training in various schools and colleges

     2010 

• Purchased Tattered Teddies Workbooks and More Than Sad DVD Packages for School Counsellors in Prairie South & Holy Trinity School Divisions
• Sponsored Tattered Teddies training for Prairie South School Division Counsellors as well as numerous other participants
• Sponsored Safe Talk training for numerous individuals
• Donated $2000.00 to Canadian Mental Health Association to support their Friends for Life Suicide Awareness and Prevention Program
• Purchased the DVD packet "The Truth About Suicide" for SIAST Palliser Campus in Moose Jaw.
• Accomplishing our vision of distributing a widespread publication sighting suicide awareness and prevention along with community resources to 18000 homes in Moose Jaw and community. This publication was an insert in the Moose Jaw Times Herald called "Journey To Hope"

     2011

• Allowed us to do great work in raising suicide awareness in the community and to support many organizations who bring hope
• Posters and Pass-it-On cards for Suicide Awareness
• CMHA SafeTALK training of 20 MJ Generals hockey players, SIAST Home Health Aid Students, and Riverview Hockey Academy
• Hope T-Shirts for Riverview Collegiates "To Write Love On Her Arms" event
• Cash Donations to local organizations who bring hope to the community.(see below)
• We put an intentional focus on seniors, and on our business community by contracting a Social Worker to go to the Senior Housing facilities in our community and to major businesses in our community with Binders of Suicide Awareness and Prevention information and aoffer information sessions to those open to such sessions
• Hosted a Celebrate Summer meal at Riverside Mission, as a message of hope to those with limited resources.
• Supported the work of others who are working hard at hope, again giving them resources in suicide awareness…Moose Jaw Transition House; Joe’s Place; and Riverside Mission.
• Donated to the Canadian Mental Health Association to support their ongoing suicide prevention and awareness training workshops
• Supplied Resources to the Five Hills Health Region’s Wakamow Manor Detox Centre and to Angus Campbell Centre
• Sponsored numerous individuals in the safeTalk and suicideTalk training programs.

     2012

• Provided funds for printing of Suicide Awareness Brochures produced by Five Hills Health Region
• Continued Sponsoring SafeTalk Training and hosted a SafeTalk Train the Trainers Event
• Sponsored a suicideCare Event
• Purchased 61 Bullying Awareness Posters, providing a set for every school in the Prairie South School Division and Holy Trinity Catholic School Division

     2013

• Gave monetary support to front line Hope Ambassadors in our community: Canadian Mental Health Association; Riverside Mission; Moose Jaw Transition House
• Sponsored a 32 page Newspaper "PonyTab" for Drug Awareness week with distribution of November 20, 2013 in cooperation with the Regional Intersectoral Committee's Drug Strategy Healing Continuum Committee. This production of 20,000 copies went to every household in Moose Jaw and all of the outlying rural areas of this region.
• 500 HOPE pens were purchased for distribution as a message of HOPE to recipients
• Subsidized a CISM (Critical Incident Stess Management) training event hosted by Moose Jaw Police Service. This event had a full registration and our subsidy enabled the attendance of the participants for a reasonable and attainable fee. Sponsored training of safeTalk

     2015

• We had over 175 people attend the event this year, making this our biggest ever!
• To date this year Journey To Hope has raised $12,500.00 with $6667.00 in pledges and donations being brought in from the walk alone, and $2608.00 was raised in the raffle! 

     2016

     CMHA Bugsy’s Supper Fundraiser March 10, 2016: raised 1316.30 for CMHA

     Sponsored Moose Jaw Pride for 750.00 Spring 2016

     Donated HOPE Bracelets to MHAD Patients upon request from Counsellor.

     SafeTalk Sponsorship Training of Peacock Students June 2016

     World Suicide Prevention Day Sept. 10, 2016: held event at Common Café highlighting Ticket sales for Hope

     Summit, selling merchandise, as well as giving away free coffee and a Bracelet to everyone from 10am to 11am.

     Journey to Hope Walk 2016: September 24, 2016

     Purchased 250 Bright Yellow Hope T-Shirts for “Yellow Day World Suicide Prevention Day (Sept. 10th) to sell.

     Highlighted Semi-Colon Project through Journey to Hope Walk 2016 and handed out semi-colon temporary

     tattoos and pencils

     Sponsored Camp Fyrefly Charity Gold Tourney for 250.00 July 2016

     Hosted Free Community Training: Sept. 27, 28, 29, 2016: SafeTalk (18) Tattered Teddies (23) and Straight Talk

     (22)

     Hope Summit 2016 (November 5, 2016): Sponsored a Community Event at Moose Jaw Public Library,

     highlighting, through personal stories shared in a TED-Like fashion  the topic of “Breaking Down Barriers” as a

     way of inspiring Hope.

     Donated Journals and pens to Hope Summit Participants

    2017

    Screening for Mental Health: Purchased Curriculum (later reimbursed by Mental Health and Addictions). 

    Purchased ongoing subscriptions: Used for screening Grade 9 Students in PSSD and HTCSD for Suicide Risk.

    Sponsored and Hosted Diversity Training Event for Moose Jaw Pride March 16, 2017

    Donated 100 Journals and Pens to Wakamow Detox November 2016

    Sponsored SafeTalk Training at Peacock for 37 Students

    Donated 200.00 to CMHA Come Together Support Group for Craft Supplies

    Sponsored Promotion of Suicide Prevention Memorial Feast and Giveaway (247.50) put on by a student at Sask

    Polytech in memory of her family member.

    Silver Sponsor (1000.00) of Leaving Trauma Behind Conference June 2, 2017

    Subsidized donation of Journals to King George School Workshop on Journaling.

    Sponsored Diversity Training Event at SasPolytech facilitated by Joe Wickenhauser of Moose Jaw Pride.

    Sponsored Moose Jaw Pride 750.00 March 2017

    Sponsor of AXIS Youth Canada Day Event July 2017: 1000.00

    Donated Journals and Pens to Journaling Workshop on Aug. 16, 2017 by Melanie Delorme

    Hosted video Viewing September 7, 2017: “Missing My Brother Ted” by Paula Stromberg

    Donated Bracelets to Sask Polytech for Suicide Awareness Day.

    Sponsored Eyebrow Suicide Awareness Community Worship Service on World Suicide Prevention Day September

    10, 2017

    Journey to Hope Walk 2017: September 23, 2017

    Free Suicide Prevention Workshops: September 26, 27, 28, 2017: SafeTalk ; Tattered Teddies and Straight Talk

    Sponsored and Hosted SafeTalk Training for Moose Jaw Pride November 9, 2017

    Sponsored U of R Mini Practicum SafeTalk Training Fall 2017

    Donated 100 Journals to Wakamow Detox December 2017

    2018

    Partnered with Moose Jaw Pride for Trans Hope Fund: 2000.00

    Partnered with Keon Garden Centre to create Suicide Help Cards to be distributed throughout the community.

    Sponsored “Walk With Me” Suicide Bereavement training for those working with Indigenous People Workshop

    April 4,2018 and Little Cub Training Workshop for Suicide Prevention in Indigenous Youth on April 5, 2018

    Sponsored Atamiskakawek National Gathering 2000.00 April, 2018

   Donated Personal Hygiene Products to Mental Health and Addictions May 2018

   Partnered with CMHA for CMHA’s 100th Anniversary: Hope Sings Project

    Journey to Hope Walk 2018-September 22, 2018

   First Responder Sexual Assault Training October 18,19, 2018

   Free Community Suicide Prevention Workshops (SafeTalk; Tattered Teddies; StraightTalk): Oct. 23, 24, 25, 2018

   Hope Summit 2018: November 3, 2018

   Hosted National Suicide Survivor Day Video Conference-November 17, 2018

   Journey to Hope: (November 2017-September 30, 2018): 25,262.00

2019

Funds raised: October 1, 2018-September 28, 2019: 31,129.37

These funds are used for Suicide Awareness and Prevention work in Moose Jaw and surrounding Region.

Here are some of the ways we invested these funds:

Donation of Journals  to Mental Health and Addictions

WACA Sponsorship – made a $500 donation to the NIPD celebrations

Sponsored ASIST Training at Prairie South School Division

Subsidized: First Responder to Sexual Assault and Abuse Workshop

Sponsored Prairie South Grief Booklets:

Sponsor a Trans Hope Fund through Moose Jaw Pride

Create Crises Cards with Call lines  place throughout the community.

Keon Garden Centre partners with us on this project.

September 21, 2019: Regina Hosted their first Journey to Hope Regina Walk event, modelling their organization after Journey to Hope Moose Jaw

We donated items for them to sell.

World Suicide Prevention Day Tuesday Sept 10, 2019 7-9pm

We hosted our Coffee and Concert at “The Hive”

September 28, 2019 Journey to Hope moose Jaw Fundraising Event

An Fundraising event focused on the themes Hope Healing and Honouring

International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day November 23, 2019

We host this event each year for people who have had a loved one die by suicide.

CASP National Conference Costs:

We sponsored two members of MJPS PACT(Police and Crises Team) attending this Conference in Edmonton.

In partnership with CMHA Moose Jaw Branch

In the spring we did ASIST training with a group of about 20 teachers and staff from Prairie South School Division. 

We were also invited to do the Tattered Teddies with Social Services, Child Protection.

In the fall of 2019 we sponsored free Training:

• Oct. 1-SafeTalk – 23
• Oct. 2 Tattered Teddies – 20
• Oct. 3 StraightTalk – 19
• November 5 -Peacock Safetalk 30 students
• November 12: 34 people at Crescent Park Event Centre

Submitted by Donna Bowyer

Screening for Mental Health

Journey to Hope pays for the Subscription and supplies for this Program to occur with Prairie South School Division and Holy Trinity Catholic School Division.

The following is the report from PSSD:

19 evening parent sessions for students in RVCI, AEP, CCI and ACHS as well as 14 rural communities that included 155 parents in attendance and covered students from grades 7 through 12

2 evening parent sessions were also held at King George Elementary and Lindale School in response to principal request and 24 parents in total attended those two nights

Teachers taught the lesson in the classrooms using the SOS materials and the screenings were reviewed and assessed by social workers, counselors and psychologist.

655 students were screened through the SOS program last year and many were connected to resources and provided with supports. In the rural schools this was handled solely by Prairie South consultants and superintendent. In the city schools we were supported by our partners at Mental Health and Addictions from SHA as well as school based guidance counsellors.

After Suicide Loss Care Packs

In April 2020, we provided 25 After Suicide Loss Care Packs to MJPS(15) and RCMP(10)

Journey2Hope Youth Chapter is a branch of Journey to Hope Moose Jaw, currently comprised of students and staff members from Central, Peacock and Riverview Collegiates.  Since our inception, just one year ago, a lot has been happening with our group. Our focus is: “to spread hope”.

We began with an open meeting with all schools where we brainstormed our mission and created action plans.  Josh Burris of J2H created a Logo and we purchased, with thanks to Journey to Hope, t-shirts for the team to give a sense of belonging and ownership.
Our J2H Launch Event happened on May 25th, 2019 at centre court of the Town n Country Mall.  Baking; Bracelet making; Button making and Art Sale were the themes of the day, and amazingly we realized: - $716.05.

Inspired by this event, we approached Moose Jaw Cultural Centre’s Art Gallery and Booked August 1- Sept 14 to display youth and community art with the theme of “Hope is….” in the MJ Museum and Art Gallery. A reception was held on Sept 7 from 1-3.

Next came a Mural project, overseen by Cori Saas of Peacock’s team.  The Mural is in the shape of a butterfly, which is not only a universal symbol of hope, but is also the Journey2Hope Youth Chapter’s logo. The “wing” pieces of the butterfly have been painted by members of our community to represent their quotes and icons of hope. The “body” of the butterfly is the memorial portion of this mural and will carry some of the names of people in our community that have been lost to suicide. Mural pieces were made available to create/write on at the Journey to Hope Event in September.  And then, to encourage contributions, representatives of each Prairie South High School came together to create a video clip to circulate on social media in all schools. With the help of Project 104 Youth, the mural will be  placed in Crescent Park when able to do so.

Prior to Christmas, our Central Collegiate team members created Christmas cards that were sent to Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation school after their community experienced three suicides in short succession and had declared a state of crisis. The Central youth sent these cards as a sign of hope for the Makwa Sahgaiehcan community, to offer them support and remind them they are not alone.

As an extension of Journey 2Hope Youth Chapter, Dan Silvester worked with Della in a Career and Work Exploration work placement.  Together they worked for 75 hours over this term, mentoring Dan as a Journey2Hope Youth Coordinator. In this time, Dan received the Most Improved Student award at Peacock for his hard work, and was accepted into the Pre- Social Work Program at U of R.

Journey2Hope Youth Chapter members worked very hard preparing for the Open Mic Night by attending numerous Writer’s Workshops. The Open Mic Night was all about people voicing their hope,  through poetry, short stories, and music. The Open Mic Night featured the Youth Chapter, but we also invited the community to contribute. This event was on February 13th, 7-9pm at Evolve Coffee Roasters, Eatery, Bakery. (203 Main St N)

Our last project was the #J2Hsignsofhope Photo Contest. We looked for submissions of “Hope” photos.  for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate for Evolve Coffee Roasters, Eatery, Bakery.