Walk & Talk for Hope takes on new format
Simsbury family continues effort to promote mental well-being
By John Fitts
Editor
When it comes to a healthy mental state, there is perhaps nothing more important than meaningful human connection. For years, a local non-profit that started after the tragic loss of a young man has helped people cope with tragedy, broach difficult topics, forge deeper relationships, and improve mental health.
“We have a passion for mental health because we know how it affected our family and I think society, in general now, is much more aware of the importance mental health and talking about it and taking care of ourselves in that way,” said Lisa Johnson, mother to Connor and Managing Director of Honor Connor / Hold Onto Hope, a Simsbury non-profit started after the tragic loss of her son.
Honor Connor takes a multi-faceted approach to mental health and the stigma that surrounds it. Its annual Walk and Talk for Hope is the foundation’s signature local event that emphasizes ways to establish better relationships, start meaningful conversations and find healthy and creative outlets. The foundation, for example, distributes Conversation Starters, a small pack of cards with helpful ice-breaking prompts for people of all ages and walks of life.
“The Walk and Talk for Hope is really just having people come together and encouraging them to have conversations,” said Lisa Johnson.
This year the event, set this year for Oct. 10 at the Simsbury Performing Arts Center, will be a little different. Traditionally held after Thanksgiving, the event has been moved to correspond with World Mental Health Day. And, just as importantly, the autumn date is very intentional part of bringing more of a festival atmosphere to the event, now dubbed Walk & Talk for Hope Community Festival for Mental Health.
“The event will run from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. and will still have the heart of the Walk & Talk, bringing people together around hope, connection, mental health and suicide prevention, but we’re building so much more around it this year,” said Emily West, Connor’s sister and Community Engagement Director for Honor Connor. “We’ll have our new Hope Wellness Village with local organizations and resources, a dedicated walking route, live music, food trucks, activities for kids and families, and interactive opportunities focused on wellness and connection.”
While based at the Simsbury Meadows, the walk will include stations along Iron Horse Boulevard and even a mental health scavenger hunt with the chance to win prizes. Importantly, vendors and mental health professionals plan to include participatory activities.
Connor Johnson grew up in Simsbury with his older brother Tyler and younger sister Emily. Connor wrote poetry, loved nature, music and sports, and held strong faith. But like so many, he struggled with depression, anxiety, addiction and even cancer. In 2016, Connor took his life the day after his 25th birthday.
“We lost him in 2016, and our family was devastated as you can imagine,” said Lisa Johnson. “He didn’t have any exposure to suicide prior to this, and Connor had struggled with mental health, and he was actually in the process of getting help and took his life inside a rehab facility.”
“After we lost Connor – about five years later – we ended up starting Honor Connor and really our mission is to help other families like ourselves who have lost someone to suicide and feel isolated with nowhere to turn, not having resources,” Lisa Johnson said. “After we lost Connor my first thing was, I need to talk to somebody who’s gone through this because nobody I know has lost anybody they love to suicide. So how do I find them? So that’s one of our main goals and our main program is Hold on to Hope, which is a free webinar that we do twice a month and it’s specifically for those who have lost someone to suicide and for those who are trying to learn how to support those who’ve lost someone to suicide.”
Hold Onto Hope and related programs are an important part of the foundation’s work.
“Lisa and Emily put the program on, and they do an amazing job. [They are] very compassionate, loving, caring but they can talk to it because they’ve lived through it,” said Connor’s dad Scott, who added that the program is clinically backed. “These are families, moms, dads, brothers, sisters, grandparents, friends that don’t have anywhere to go. They don’t know what to do, they’re you know struggling with their own mental health; some have suicidal thoughts.”
“No one wants to talk about suicide; it’s such a difficult subject and it’s so taboo and people don’t have the right words,” Lisa said. “So, we’re trying to get rid of that stigma so we can talk about it in a way that it is a reality. People do struggle with suicidal ideation.”
“You may avoid the conversations because they’re not going to be easy, and you have to be able to do it in a loving way. I know there was times when I struggled having conversations with Connor. I didn’t know what I didn’t know,” Scott said. “Part of our mission is to stop the stigmas and start the conversations around mental health, addiction and suicide. The more we talk about it the more lives you actually can save, the more people start recognizing that they need to have these conversations.”
But as much as the organization is out to end stigma, it’s important to know that everyone is encouraged to attend the Walk and Hope even if they are in a good place. The family wants people to have the resources to help others but also come out and have fun, connect with others and potentially even find a new passion. One never knows when they might have the chance to deepen an interpersonal relationship or even save a life. There are even ways to participate virtually.
“I’ve had families come up to me and they’re like ‘you know when are you doing the Walk and Talk again because we did it and we just connected on a different level,” said Scott, who is also Executive Director of Honor Connor. “We give the conversation starters, give people a chance to have meaningful conversations in a non-threatening way and we give them some guidelines.”
“They’re really easy questions to ask and they’re questions that lead down a path. Sometimes you’ll find someone’s hurting, someone’s really struggling,” he added. “And, we have resources available on the website to guide people, direct them where they can get resources no matter what mental health challenge they’re facing.” VL
The Walk & Talk for Hope Community Festival for Mental Health is set for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 10 at the Simsbury Performing Arts.See more at https://honorconnor.org/walkandtalkforhope/
