St. Joseph grads celebrate successful service project

On Monday, April 16, Rick More, Founder of the Smiles Thru Lindsey Foundation, kicked-off the Grad Service Project week and the Unplug for Mental Health event, with an engaging presentation about the Foundation and effects of cellphone usage and social media on mental health.

The Unplug for Mental Health cellphone-free day saw 161 staff and students “drop” and “unplug” from their cellphones for a whole day.

The event aimed to provide a safe community where staff and teachers could engage in meaningful conversations with one another, rather than sending an email or text, as well as learn how to manage the amount of time they spent on social media in a healthy way.

On Tuesday, April 17 St. Joseph High School “took over” State & Main (south) for their Restaurant Takeover event.

The event sold out in less than a week and in ticket sales alone raised $750. Food sales within the three-hour event reached $5851 with State & Main donating 10 per cent ($585) towards the Smiles Thru Lindsey Foundation.

Silent auction donations reached a total of $2250.

On Wednesday, April 18 students and staff grabbed some props and cracked their best smile at the on-site photobooth. The photos were then put on a smile wall to highlight their entire school community.

Thursday, April 19 was the Movin’ for Mental Health day. St. Joseph High School welcomed over 450 students from their feeder schools including St. Patrick’s Community School, Father Henri Voisin School, St. Teresa of Avila School, St. Thomas Aquinas Middle School and École Mother Teresa Catholic School.

Grade five and nine students came dressed in their best disco workout gear, as they joined Grade 12 students and learned how to how to make healthy choices by looking after both their physical and mental health.

Students were instructed through three different fitness sessions including POUND, Piloxing and Zumba.

The week ended on a high note with the Let It Ripple event that took place on Friday, April 20.

Close to 300 Grade nine students from St. Patrick’s Community School, St. Thomas Aquinas Middle School and St. Gregory the Great School were led through a variety of presentations including learning how to increase their confidence upon entering into Grade 10.

There were a variety of presenters from Red Deer College, Alberta Health Services and Amped2Play.

There was also a week-long bottle drive which brought the total amount of monies raised to $4430.

“Our focus going into our Grad Service Project week was to create a safe and caring environment where our school communities could come together for a common goal of raising support and awareness for mental health,” said Event Coordinator Ashley Visscher. “As a school, we feel that we not only helped to create a ripple effect amongst our school communities, but also the central Alberta community at large.”

The Smiles Thru Lindsey Foundation is geared at providing financial help to those with mental illness, as well as supporting the youth showing signs of, or experiencing a mental health crisis.

Founders Cindy and Rick More have continued to advocate for mental health awareness after losing their daughter Lindsey to suicide.

For more information about the Smiles Thru Lindsey Foundation, visit www.facebook.com/SmilesThruLindsey/.

by rdnewsNOW staff

St. Joseph grads celebrate successful service project

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