“If Blake’s story could help one person come forward with their struggles or help one person see mental health and addiction in a different light, he would consider that a success.” – Chris and Suzanne Garvey (Blake’s parents – Suzanne is pictured below with DMHS CEO Rob Adams)
At DMHS’ November 16th Annual General Meeting and 30th Anniversary Celebration, DMHS is inaugurating a new award – the Blake Garvey Memorial Award of Appreciation. This award will be given to a person who went above and beyond promoting mental health and recovery in Durham Region.
We seek your input in nominating candidates for this award. If you know someone who you feel deserves recognition for their individual contribution to promoting mental health and recovery in our local community, please send the person’s name and an explanation of why you are nominating them to Sarah MacLeod at smacleod@dmhs.ca by Wednesday, November 1.
About Blake Garvey:
Throughout his short life, Blake Garvey loved to skateboard. After mental health and addiction issues tragically took his life at the age of 18, his parents, Suzanne and Chris Garvey, determined to honour his memory, to raise awareness of mental health and addiction issues, and to raise funds for local helping organizations by establishing a charitable event called “Bike, Blade, Board 4 Blake.”
“Blake constantly had a contagious smirk on his face – he was always happy and made others happy to be around him,” says Suzanne. “He accepted everyone and made friends easily. We know he would be proud that his Mom and Dad are doing this in his honour.”
“Blake was never ashamed of his illness and never ashamed to reach out for help,” adds Chris. Chris has a tattoo with a picture of Blake that says “No Blame, No Shame, Just Love,” a message that perfectly captures the spirit of this award.
