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March forward in the fight to Defeat Depression this Saturday

Simcoe Peer Support for Mental Health and Addictions has more than 1,000 members using their services for free and without a referral.
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Simcoe Peer Support board director Brad Doucette with Julian Millman and Dawn Davidson - all members of Simcoe Peer Support and all getting prepped for the Defeat Depression walk on Saturday, May 25. Erika Engel/CollingwoodToday

On any given weekend, particularly when the sun is shining, you’ll find people walking the trails at Sunset Point.

This weekend is the same, but with one small change. There will be a group of people walking together to take ground in the battle against depression.

This Saturday is the Defeat Depression charity walk. As events go, it’s pretty new, it’s the third-annual walk.

Nationally it’s being organized by the Mood Disorder Society of Canada, and locally it’s being organized by Simcoe Peer Support for Mental Health and Addictions.

Julian Millman is an employee at Simcoe Peer Support, he’s helping organize the local walk, and he’s also a member.

In fact, all the employees at Simcoe Peer Support are also members. They share the same story.

“I came here for help,” said Millman, who lives with bipolar disorder and alcoholism.

Dawn Davidson also came to Simcoe Peer Support for help. As she became more healthy, she volunteered, and now it’s her full-time job.

“It’s so nice to work at a place where someone understands mental health,” she said.

Davidson lives with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety.

There are more than 1,000 members at Simcoe Peer Support, and they have access to daily activities, group therapy, workshops, and social events for free and without needing a referral. Funding comes from the Local Health Integration Network and through donations. 

“There are so many barriers in place to prevent someone from getting care,” said Millman, adding sometimes it can take six months to see a psychiatrist. “What are you supposed to do for six months?”

Anyone who wants help in the area of mental health or addiction can call Simcoe Peer Support and become a member.

During the week, the organization offers multiple activities everyday. The schedule includes a weekly walking group, multiple social mornings, weekly yoga, arts and crafts sessions, workshops on topics like codependency, group therapy, ted talks, and a weekly check-in group.

All activities are run by someone living with a mental illness, and they take place in a casual living-room like setting at the Simcoe Peer Support building off Tremont Lane. Those who stop by will only encounter their peers, those in various places of a life lived with a mood disorder, an addiction, an illness that wants to take over their lives. They will share their struggles and their victories in a way only peers can.

“A newcomer coming to one of our groups is more likely to feel like they can relate,” said Millman. “They fit in. They belong.”

The walk to Defeat Depression is also a peer-driven event. Organized by those who battle depression and other mood disorders. The proceeds are divided between Mood Disorder Society of Canada (25 per cent) and Simcoe Peer Support (75 per cent).

“The walk helps us raise awareness too,” said Millman. “It’s about putting our name out there, and saying, ‘let’s talk about depression.’”

Stigma is a word that comes up often in the conversation about mental health, and part of defeating depression, according to Millman, is a battle against stigma.

“It’s a social stigma,” he said. “In the case of men, in particular, people raised an idea you’re not to talk about mental health or show emotion. That it somehow makes you weak. In fact, it’s the opposite … I want people to realize mental illness is just as important as a physical ailment.”

Millman and Davidson say part of the proceeds from the walk will help cover costs of having some fun.

“Part of recovery is having fun,” said Davidson.

Some of the outings might be going bowling, or visiting Collingwood Museum together.

“People feel like they don’t deserve it,” said Millman, adding mental illness and addiction can often cause people to isolate. “It’s important to have human interaction in a social setting.”

The Defeat Depression walk starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 25. At Sunset Point near The Chipper. There is a 1-kilometre and a 5-kilometre walk, a silent auction, and a raffle. Participants in the walk are asked to donate $25, pledges are optional but welcome. You can register for the walk online here, at the Simcoe Peer Support building at 41 Elgin Street (entrance off Tremont Lane), or in-person on the day of the walk.

The fundraising goal is $10,000.

Outside of the 25 per cent going to Mood Disorder Society of Canada, the money raised will go to Simcoe Peer Support to help people in the community facing mental illness and addiction.


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Erika Engel

About the Author: Erika Engel

Erika regularly covers all things news in Collingwood as a reporter and editor. She has 15 years of experience as a local journalist
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