From the depths of the darkness, there eventually comes light. And from tragedy sometimes comes positive change.

With this hope in mind, two friends of Matt Roke’s family have started a mental health awareness campaign in the late Maitland man’s name. The death of Roke, 33, who suffered from schizophrenia, is being probed by the Special Investigations Unit after the man was shot by OPP on May 2.

This is Mental Health Week across Canada, and Sylvia Harmsma and Cathy de Kroon hope the timing of the campaign will both honour their friend’s memory and get people across the region thinking about the impact mental illness has on the lives of everyone in the community.

“We want to make the best of a very difficult situation, and hopefully we can turn this tragic situation into one that brings about positive change,” said Harmsma.

She and de Kroon have made silver ribbons available to be worn in what is both a show of support for the grieving Roke family and a symbol of mental health awareness. They are also encouraging local residents to wear purple with their ribbons.

“We want to show visible support,” said Harmsma.

Roke’s mother, Jody, said the family is fully supportive of the campaign in his name and hopes it will help steer others grappling with mental illness toward the services they need.

“We want to be able to get the help we need for people who have those issues,” she said.

Harmsma and de Kroon plan on having boxes of the ribbons stationed at numerous locations. Accompanying the boxes will be donation envelopes for the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario.

Colin Slack, executive director of the Leeds and Grenville Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), said campaigns help build recognition of the struggles faced by the mentally ill and their families.

“The other focus or component to this kind of campaign is to talk about how widespread mental health issues are, and how much of an impact they have on family members,” Slack said.

“Families experience different paths when one of their family members is impacted by a mental health issue,” he said.

And it shines a light on both the need for mental health services and those available through organizations such as the CMHA, said Slack.

It also serves as a reminder to the public that mental illness is far more prevalent in society than many believe, he said.

The commonly cited statistic states that one in five Canadians will suffer from a mental health issue at some point in their lives. Slack said evidence suggests the truth is closer to one in four.

Keeping this in mind, said Slack, people should be mindful that “there is a real face to mental illness.”

These faces include people like Matt Roke, a young man remembered fondly by family last week as loving and generous with a keen sense of humour.

Ribbons are available at the CMHA open house being held today and at Searchlight Books, 15 Central Street East, Brockville.

Donations can be sent to the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario at: Schizophrenia Society c/o Royal OMHC Room 2359, 1145 Carling Ave., Ottawa, ON K1Z 7K4.

For more information on CMHA programs and volunteer opportunities, contact Slack at the Leeds and Grenville branch at 613-345-0950 ext. 2.

Source