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Nelly’s Project III continues raising awareness for mental health

Despite the current tough economic times in the province, the Nelly’s Project III fundraiser held at the Westlock and District Community Hall on Sept.
Canadian singers Lisa Brokop and Carolyn Dawn Johnson (who originally hails from Westlock) perform during the Nelly’s Project III fundraiser on Sept. 24 at the Westlock
Canadian singers Lisa Brokop and Carolyn Dawn Johnson (who originally hails from Westlock) perform during the Nelly’s Project III fundraiser on Sept. 24 at the Westlock Community Hall.

Despite the current tough economic times in the province, the Nelly’s Project III fundraiser held at the Westlock and District Community Hall on Sept. 24 was still a very successful fundraiser beyond the money raised for the Soul Sisters Memorial Foundation.

In all, gross receipts for the evening were $190,000, said Christine Vachon, president of the Soul Sisters foundation and mother of Jeanelle Lobsinger.

Jeanelle, whose nickname was “Nelly,” committed suicide in the fall of 2013. That tragedy led to the formation of the Soul Sisters Memorial Foundation.

The third annual Nelly’s Project, like the first two, was a fundraiser to enable the Soul Sisters Memorial Foundation to bring awareness to suicide and mental health issues within the community. In three years, the project has raised close to $700,000.

Although the dollars raised for Soul Sisters were down slightly from the previous year, guest Robb Nash actually got more money for his similar work to bring a message of hope to young people across Canada with the goal of reducing the number of suicides among youth.

Vachon said there were also about 180 new faces in the audience this year to hear the messages of hope, inspiration and encouragement.

Guest speaker Dawn Southey Hills shared the story of her life and how she was able to overcome devastating depression and anxiety and how she manages her PTSD.

Her husband Malcolm had also prepared to speak, but he found himself overwhelmed from the emotion of the evening and could not.

And there was lots of emotion throughout the evening, just as there has been at the previous two Nelly’s Project fundraisers.

When Christine Vachon spoke following the presentation by the Hills, she asked all those in the audience who had experienced the loss of a loved one to stand.

At least three quarters of the crowd were on their feet.

“I think everyone took something away from the evening,” Vachon told the Town & Country last week.

To her that was even more important than the money raised.

“Overall, it was good, and my husband reminds me that it’s not about how much money we made, it’s how many extra people we reached and let them know what we do,” she added.

Nash, who was making his second appearance as a guest speaker at the Nelly’s Project fundraiser, said the community feels like home to him, and the generosity he has seen here simply blows him away.

Nash travels across Canada sharing his story with thousands of young people to help them discover their gifts, rather than focus on their failings.

Last year, $70,000 was raised at Westlock for the Robb Nash Project. This year, Vachon said, donations came to $74,000, an indication of the value the community sees in his work.

Following his presentation, Blair Lobsinger, the 14-year-old grandson of Christine Vachon and Jeanelle’s oldest son, spoke of his positive experiences with Nash.

Throughout the evening, there were several live auction items and silent auction items offered, which all helped to raise funds.

On an interesting side note, a mystery trip was again offered, and once again, the high bidders to get the 10-day trip were Louis and Sue Dechaine of St. Lina.

Last year, the mystery destination was Costa Rica. This year it was Italy.

Canadian singer/songwriters Lisa Brokop and Carolyn Dawn Johnson, who are now living in Nashville, rounded out the evening with some great musical entertainment.

Johnson is a former Westlock resident who spent her final school years there, and is good friends to Christine and her family.

Suicide and mental health issues are two concerns which people have been reluctant to talk about in the past. There is a stigma of guilt or perhaps a helpless feeling about it that has kept these issues in the closet.

However, there are those who want to talk about their personal loss and further, to bring awareness of these issues to the forefront in the hope that it will help others.

Those wishing to learn more about the work of the Foundation or contribute funds to help continue the foundation’s work to can visit their website at: www.soulsistersmemorialfoundation.com.

Plans are now underway for Nelly’s Project IV, which will be held Sept. 23, 2017.

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