When hundreds cycle from Oak Bay and up across the Saanich Peninsula to raise funds and awareness for mental health, Gillian Carleton sees it as mass support for the greater community.
Carleton’s served as an ambassador for the Greater Victoria Canadian Mental Health Association’s local Greater Victoria event for about nine years. A former pro athlete, they’ve long been open about challenges and struggles, but that didn’t always come easy.
“When I retired from pro cycling I had been involved a little bit in mental health activism in Canadian sports,” Carleton said. When they went back to school, a friend directed Carleton to Ride Don’t Hide.
“At the time I was still really struggling with mental health and it was still quite nerve-wracking at the time to talk about my struggles with mental health,” they said. “I really felt like there was this opportunity for me to lead this effort, no matter how scary it was for me to do that.”
The whole point of the ride is to break down stigma, Carleton noted, and in that time, they’ve seen it first-hand. Along the way, it afforded a sense of community and belonging – meeting and talking to people who understood, sympathized and were supportive. It paved an easier path to sharing those experiences.
“It actually helped me as well it gave me that sense of community,” Carleton said. “Which is really the point.”
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So when floods of riders and walkers take to the street starting at Windsor Park in Oak Bay on Sunday (June 9) to embark on one of the five cycling routes – from a 7 km Family Ride to 100 km ride out to the Saanich Peninsula – or the 5 km walking route, it sets a tone for anyone both watching or participating.
“It’s visually so good to see,” Carleton said. “It’s a nice reminder to that there’s this large growing group of people who have committed to supporting each other.”
Aside from awareness and community, the event raises funds for mental health services and programs delivered by Canadian Mental Health Association BC Division (CMHA BC) in Greater Victoria.
Across Canada it’s raised more than $11 million, locally they hope to raise $100,000 this weekend, said CEO Jonny Morris.
That means delivering more local programming for young people, adults and the older adult.
The free skills-based course, Living Life to the Full is a key example for Morris. “I think of it as pottery for the mind. It’s a really accessible plain-language fun course that teaches real skills,” he said.
It helps people understand and give them tools to learn from each other about low mood, stress, anxiety and worry in a classroom setting often in community or seniors centres.
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Funds also go toward a couple organizations for people living with severe mental illness, to help work on social connection.
With fingers crossed for sunshine for his walk around the golf course on the shores of Oak Bay, Morris hopes to see a couple hundreds riders take to the streets.
“I’m hoping we get lots of riders out and we raise our fundraising target. And more than anything I hope people enjoy themselves and have a safe and fun day connecting and telling stories to each other and helping remember why we’re doing this.”
Held nationally, the 13th local CMHA BC Ride Don’t Hide is Sunday (June 9). Register or learn more at ridedonthide.com/victoria or follow on socials @rdhvictoria.
