Thousands gathered in Camana Bay on Saturday morning for the third annual Addison Kelly Butterfly 5k Walk/Run to help raise awareness for mental health through fitness.
This year’s event saw a record 1,500 participants take to the roads, including the Kelly family, who continues to honour their kin Addison, who died by suicide in 2022 at the age of 16.
Bev Sinclair, communications manager at Kelly Holding Ltd, which organised the occasion, told the Compass that the response from the community never ceases to amaze.
“Every year, we expect a certain number, we plan for a certain number but it always exceeds our expectations,” Sinclair said. “It’s so overwhelming. As event managers, we try the best we can, but we can’t plan for the love we experience and the support this cause has brought out in our community. We are just so grateful and so pleased.”
The third annual event also introduced a memorial wall, which pays tribute to those who lost their battles to mental health over the years.
“It’s sad, but we also appreciate that people want to see their loved ones’ names memorialised,” Sinclair said, noting that Rhonda, the mother of Addison Kelly, came up with the idea to remember those who may have been forgotten.
“She leads a suicide grief group, and it just came to her that sometimes it’s important for us to say the names and have a tangible representation of the people who have left us.
“We had 26 entries, and those 26 names are up on that wall.”
Mental health resources
If you or others you know are struggling, there are resources available to help.
- In an emergency, call 911.
- Mental Health Helpline. Call 1-800-534-6463 (MIND) Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, to talk to the Mental Health Helpline, which was established during the pandemic.
- The Alex Panton Foundation. The non-profit’s primary objective is “raising awareness of mental illnesses affecting children and young adults in the Cayman Islands with a particular focus on anxiety and depression”. It aims to “provide hope and resources to friends, family, teachers, classmates and careers to help save the lives of children and young adults struggling with mental illness”. The foundation was established in memory of Alex Panton, who succumbed to the effects of severe depression at the age of 16.
- Department of Children and Family Services. For non-critical services provided by the department, email [email protected] or call 949-0290 in Grand Cayman and 948-2331 in Cayman Brac Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm.
- The Cayman Islands Crisis Centre. The charity provides support to all victims of domestic violence via “services and programmes focusing on domestic and sexual abuse”. Among its services are providing shelter, counselling, a 24/7 crisis helpline (943-2422) and a kids’ helpline (649-5437).
- There are a number of private health care providers offering counselling and support, such as Infinite Mind Care and the Wellness Centre.
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