INNISFAIL – Curlers hit the ice at the Innisfail Curling Club last weekend – not for competitive glory but to make a statement there are some things more important than the great roaring game or any sport.
The second annual Yellow Bucket Bonspiel was held Nov. 3 and 4 to support the Smiles Thru Lindsey Foundation, which was set up in memory of 22-year-old Lindsey More. The young Red Deer woman took her own life on Sept. 20, 2015 after a long battle with depression. The foundation, created by her family through the Red Deer and District Community Foundation, aims to raise awareness on mental illness and create programs for young people.
“It has been a tough two years obviously but we are making a lot of headway with the mental health issues and raising a lot of money for the Smiles Thru Lindsey Foundation,” said Lindsey's father Rick More.
The two-day tournament attracted more than 100 players from Innisfail, Red Deer and Calgary, with some of them top level curlers who used to play with Lindsey. In 2009, Lindsey was second to skip Jocelyn Peterman, now a nationally renowned curler, on a team that won the provincial title. The tourney featured 28 teams with seven pools created, each with four squads.
“It is basically a funspiel. There's a smattering of real good players and a smattering of beginners,” said Lowell Peterman, the curling club's icemaker and manager, adding he was approached by the More family to hold the bonspiel in Innisfail instead of Red Deer.
“The cause is very dear to me because Lindsey did play with my daughter (Jocelyn) in junior curling and they were very good friends,” said Peterman. “When they asked me to host we were completely on board. We are one of the main sponsors, so we donate the ice for free.”
Rick, a senior manager with the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce, said the bonspiel has played an important part in the almost $200,000 that has been raised for the foundation.
He said his family is completely committed to sharing Lindsey's story publicly. They have done so at conferences and at high schools, including Red Deer's École Secondaire Notre Dame High School where Lindsey attended.
“About 1,700 students came out to listen. It was so enlightening for me,” he said. “When I speak I can feel the energy in the room. Everybody gave their attention. Nobody was on their phones. They respected what this is all about.”
Rick added more and more people, particularly on the family's Smiles Thru Lindsey Foundation Facebook site, are now prepared to talk about mental illness, including their own.
“I get some personal messages from people. Some were shocking and saying, ‘you are the first one I've told that I suffer from mental illness,” said Rick. “I had one recently that said, ‘because of Lindsey and what you guys are doing I have quit drinking for five months. I don't cry every morning.
“Every time we hear those stories it keeps us going.”
Meanwhile, some of the raised funds have gone to schools, including $10,000 to the Red Deer Catholic school board for a mental health first-aid program to help students who may be going through depression. He added the foundation will also be working with the public school system on another program.
“Lindsey suffered all the way through high school and we didn't even know about it. So these teachers will know the trigger points and when a student may be suffering,” said Rick, adding he's also grateful for any publicity his foundation can get.
“I always thank the media. Because the story through you is the real news,” he said. “It is the coverage that keeps us alive and after two years it keeps getting stronger.”
Rick More, fatheer of Lindsey
"It has been a tough two years obviously but we are making a lot of headway with the mental health issues and raising a lot of money for the Smiles Thru Lindsey Foundation."
