Kelly Paul, a woman from the Tsartlip Band in Brentwood Bay, is running 535 km from the north end of Vancouver Island to Victoria to raise awareness and open dialogue about suicide prevention.

Kelly is a leader in her community, the First Nation Education Assistant at Bayside Middle School, a soccer coach, and a sister.  She is also the survivor of suicide in her family, and knows the pains of healing following that loss.

To read about Kelly and to follow her journey click here  .

In preparation and to publicize the run, a community run took place March 28th! This 28km run tied together the  Saanich First Nation communities (TSARTLIP, PAUQUACHIN, TSEYCUM, TSAWOUT). Photo: Kelly is on the far left.  The little one in the photo is my granddaughter Tessa. The two paler faces are my daughter Krystal and son Geordie. These kids grew up together and have blessed one another’s lives. We look so forward to following this run, and participating in it when we can.

Thanks to those who attended the International Work Group on Death Dying and Bereavement who met in Victoria last week, and who purchased T-Shirts to help raise more than $1,000 for this marathon! They send their wishes to Kelly for an “incredible journey”!