Car wash, drive-in movie raising funds for Smiles Thru Lindsey Foundation

“The experience will be neat,” adds More. “The younger generation didn’t do drive-ins, the baby boomers love drive-ins, so we’re trying to make it that same feeling. We have a concession, the Westerner will run hog dogs, hamburgers, popcorn, pop, all that stuff, then we have a retro car club coming for a static display that people can look at what the cars looked like in the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and stuff.”

Ultimately, More hopes both events not only create a great experience for people but raises money and awareness for mental health in our community.

“Original Joes, they’ve been supportive in a lot of things we’ve been doing,” states More. “They’re doing a charity car wash at Original Joes downtown where they have a dunk tank and the funds will all go to Smiles Thru Lindsey too and again, these businesses just come to us and say ‘We really want to help’. It’s a feel good thing and it’s for a good cause and it’s a lot of fun in the process.”

“That’s part of mental health, is having fun too,” continues More. “That’s why we call it Smiles Thru Lindsey. It’s through Lindsey that people smile.”

He says the Foundation was created in November of 2015, following the death of his 22-year-old daughter Lindsey in September of that year.

“She took her life,” More says. “She had depression issues that we were unaware of through all her high school, so in her legacy, her honour, my wife Cindy and I started Smiles Thru Lindsey which is an endowment fund and we direct the funds toward mental health and depression in youth in central Alberta.”

Since then, More says the Foundation has raised over a quarter of a million dollars thanks to the amazing generosity of central Albertans.

“The funds we’ve raised, it’s all because of the city of Red Deer and all the businesses,” states More. “It’s a fund that will go on to perpetuity, off the interest and things like that. We’ve given around $20,000 so far to early intervention in the schools with literature programs and mental health programs for teachers, mental health, first-aid.”

He says targeting at an early age can eliminate some of the issues that come forward.

“It feels amazing, we know we’re making a difference,” exclaims More. “Stephanie (Lindsey’s older sister) sees the messages that come through to us and because of what we’re doing that they’re alive to tell us and they’ve sought help and that keeps us going. I mean, you hear the cliché’, you save one life but we know we are and we’re changing the stigma that’s involved.”

In that regard, More feels the younger generation for example is not afraid to talk about mental health issues.

“If they’re ill or sick, let’s get you better, let’s not hide things” he says. “It’s gaining a lot of momentum, its gaining momentum in politics. For instance the Child Advocacy Centre really was started because of Lindsey. After her death, business people got together and said ‘We have to do something’ and we met with Sheldon Kennedy and that’s just another layer of mental health.”

Older sister Stephanie describes her sister Lindsey as a fun-loving, hilarious and adventurous person.

“She was getting her pilot license, would skydive, bungee jump, all that stuff,” says Stephanie. “You wouldn’t have known that she had a problem, she hid it through doing all that stuff.”

Rick adds that Lindsey also loved to help other people.

“Sometimes it would frustrate us,” jokes More. “We’d be sitting down at Thanksgiving and dinner on the table and she goes ‘I want to take a plate to so and so because they’re home alone’ and she would. She’d take a plate and she’d leave and this is before we knew obviously and I think she thought more of other people than herself.”

To show your support, tickets for the Drive-In Night at Westerner Park on August 23 can be purchased through ticketsalberta.ca.

by Sheldon Spackman

Car wash, drive-in movie raising funds for Smiles Thru Lindsey Foundation

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