By Charlie Delandelles
THE locally based Silver Fox initiative is preparing for a trek to the Himalayas in 2025 to raise funds and awareness for Parkinsons disease research in Australia.
The #trekforparkinsons 2025 is a joint venture between Trek Ready Himalayas and The Silver Fox Initiative,” Silver Fox Initiative founder, Neil Collie, said.
“My dad had Lewy body dementia (Parkinson’s). The struggle he had in his final year opened my eyes to Parkinson’s and mental health.
“As a community, we need to come together and make a difference.”
Neil founded the Silver Fox Initiative to address a gap in accessing mental health services in the local community.
“The initiative is motivated to support, celebrate, welcome and serve all people in the Sunshine Coast and South East Queensland communities who are experiencing struggles and challenges with their Mental Health,” Neil added.
“The Silver Fox Initiative provides a presence at local events that aims to start conversations about mental health without prejudice or judgement.”
Neil will also be running in the Sunshine Coast marathon on August 11, and he hopes to see many partaking in the event wearing their Silver Fox Initiative shirts.
“It’s ok to be slow. It’s okay to run. It’s okay to be you,” Neil said.
“Don’t ever forget [that] by getting to the start line, you have already achieved.”
October 10 is World Mental Health Day, with the overall objective to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health.
The day allows people working on mental health issues to talk about their work and what needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people.