The project itself began a few years ago, when Lantzville Mayor Mark Swain connected Rotary with Ojala’s family.
They had originally approached the District to propose a memorial bench, but the idea of something more proactive took over.
“We should do something to help raise awareness about mental health here, so we came up with the idea for this mental fitness tour and worked with the British Virgin Islands Crisis Society and the British Columbia chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association to make it a reality,” Taylor added.
Each sign offers different messages, exercises and suggestions for reflection to encourage trail users to work on their mental health as well as their physical well-being.
The posters also contain direct contact information for the Vancouver Island Crisis Line and other mental support services.
“Instead of talking about how to cope, why don’t we give people some tools and exercises that can help them be more resilient from the start and give them some coping mechanisms?”
Taylor said Ojala’s family attended a gathering to dedicate the trail on Friday, July 12.
In addition to the signs, a commemorative bench was also placed, adorned with the phrase “Stay: tomorrow needs you!”, a message prepared by Ojala’s nephew.
“We wanted them to be happy with what it was and to be able to contribute something. For some of them, being there was the first time they had seen anything… so it was very emotional to see how much it meant to them and we found a way to help the community and honor Adam at the same time.”
The entire project cost just over $10,000 and was completed through fundraising and grants from several groups, including the Lantzville District and Rotary International.
Rotary considers this trail to be the first of its kind in the country and one of only a few similar facilities in all of North America.
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