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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, September 9, 2016 | 6 Tomorrow is World Suicide Prevention Day and sadly, just as our youths returned to school this week in hopes of a bright future for them individually, and the global community, they are a major group at risk of suicide. Why that is must be answered, with a view to making big change, fast, but one local group is among many taking action and we applaud its effort. Tomorrow is the fourth Shine Out! Shout Out! Adult Recreational Hockey Tournament to raise awareness and funds for youths facing mental health challenges. What began as an idea in a kitchen one May night in 2013 has grown beyond what resident Michelle Sparling and her friends imagined. Funds raised are in support of Just Be You -- a recreational, peer­to-peer mental health support program for youths aged 15-22 years that runs in partnership with Support and Housing Halton. "If you build it, they will come" goes the famous line from the movie, Field of Dreams, and come they have, says Sparling. The program is held at Oak Park Neighbourhood Centre Friday nights. It provides peer support to more than 20 youths and young adults dealing with mental health issues. It allows those who are feeling down, anxious and stressed, a place where they can Just Be Youth, where they can feel connected, safe and without judgment. It's a winning combination because Fridays are almost at capacity, so additional nights are in the works. Sparling says the need is understandable, considering statistics that indicate one in ve youths has a mental health challenge... only 20 per cent of those who need help get the services they need... and when they do, wait times can easily run six to eight months. Further, stigma and social isolation can be signi cant barriers to recovery. And sadly, suicide is the leading cause of non-accidental death for youths aged 15-24 years. The tournament will be held at Canlan Ice Sports Oakville. It is sold out with 22 teams of 275-plus adult players attending along with family, friends, community agencies, and local leaders (approximately 400 people). The Canadian Women's Hockey League returns as a major promoter of the event. Ontario Labour Minister and Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn will drop the puck for the fourth year, joined by Oakville MP John Oliver and Oakville North-Burlington MP Pam Damoff. Shine Out! Shout Out! has been developed by the Sparling family and its friends to raise awareness for youth mental health and funds for Just Be You. In 2014, it earned the Marlene Longdon Award by Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)-Halton for contributing signi cantly to the advancement of mental health in the community. This is a local effort to lead change and a real role model in our community. The support it has earned from the community , and the demand for it, tells the tale. For more information, contact 416-277-2767 or 1-800-637-1108, or information@shineshout.com. The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to: The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington ON L7L 5Z1 or via email to ablackburn@ oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. Local leaders Editorial "Connected to your Community" 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington ON L7L 5Z1 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 54 | Number 73 The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Vice ­President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Regional General Manager Advertising Director NEIL OLIVER KELLY MONTAGUE DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor ANGELA BLACKBURN RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager LORI ANN GZOVDANOVIC Director of Production MARK DILLS Letter to the Editor MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Transit route changes don't sit well with rider As a student, I rely on the bus to not only get to school, but to get to my place of work. I wasn't very pleased when I found out about the changes to the Oakville Transit schedules. The area of New Street and Burloak to Lakeshore and Burloak has lost not just one, but two buses (14, 32). What about seniors who live in the seniors' home at Burloak and Lakeshore? What about this side of Oakville? I now have to take three different buses with an 90-minute journey, when it used to be 30-40 minutes. Transit Director Barry Cole said, "Customers will still be able to get to their destination using alternate routes," but that means I would be walking 25 minutes through Spruce Park along the Sheldon Creek Trail to the closest bus stop. This is incredibly dangerous at night and jeopardizes my safety and is something that isn't plausible for me and likely many others. Not to mention in the wintertime, with the cold and heavy snow, how do you expect people to walk long distances to get to a bus stop? I have been taking Oakville buses since I rst went to post-secondary school in 2011 and always thought they were much better than other transits in other cities. Unfortunately, that is now not the case. Those who decided to cancel these routes people rely on should be ashamed. Yes, buses are meant to be a way to connect people to bigger transit hubs for those commuting to larger cities like Toronto, but they are meant to serve the community and for those who relied on these now-cancelled routes, they are not. If Oakville Transit is trying to increase ridership, it might want to think about its current customers so they don't lose them in the process. Kelsey Barnes, Oakville Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Pud by Steve Nease The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.