Cruze brings much needed awareness

MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - This year's Suicide Awareness Cruze was a big success with more than $6,000 raised, said organizers.

The Cruze took place on July 14 starting in Didsbury and went throughout the county before ending up in Olds.

"We had a good turnout of vehicles," said Dana Munn, president of the Didbury Car Club. "We had over 40 vehicles and many people. The money raised will be split between our suicide awareness program and Chinook Arch Victim's Services."

The Cruze started with a breakfast and registration at 582 Patio and Grill. The riders then cruised to the Didsbury FIre Hall for the first stop followed by stops at the fire halls in Carstairs, Crossfield, Water Valley and Sundre. The riders then had a barbecue dinner at the Westward Ho campground before ending up at Integrity RV in Olds for an outdoor movie on the big screen.

Munn said suicide awareness is such an important cause and one that most people find difficult to talk about.

"I think everyone has been affected by suicide in some way," he said. "Alberta is typically ranked Number 1 or Number 2 in suicides in Canada. Suicide actually takes more lives in Canada than automobile accidents and cancer combined. It's something that the public is completely unaware of -- how big a problem it is. It's something that people struggle to talk about. People just don't know how to engage in a conversation about it."

Munn said their goal is to create an atmosphere where people are more open to discussing suicide.

"It's an issue we need to discuss and we need to feel free to talk about," he said.

The club is very appreciative of the support of all the local fire departments as well as the RCMP for helping with crowd control, 582 Patio and Grill, Westward Ho Campground and AG Foods, said Munn.