Miles 2 Go for Suicide Awareness
Tax deductible
36-Mile Swim for Suicide Awareness & Education
Dear friends:
Five years ago this summer, Dave Kemmerling, my friend of 30-plus years, ended a long battle with depression by tragically taking his life. Dave was a fighter. He'd get knocked down time and again and amazingly, he'd get back up. He was one of the toughest people I’ve ever known, marathoner, triathlete, cancer survivor. Depression, unfortunately, proved to be Dave’s toughest foe, and it finally sapped him of the will to get up once more.
Dave left behind parents who cherished him, and younger siblings who admired him for his tenderness and tenacity. They are my family now and to support them, and others just like them, I'm embarking on a 36-mile swimming race on the Red River on June 20th. It’s billed as the "longest swimming race in North America" and it’s more than 5-times further than I've ever swum competitively.
For Dave, who battled life on life’s terms for such a long time, I feel compelled to try this. Depending on water flow, temperature and wind conditions, I anticipate it'll take anywhere from 12-15 hours to complete. To me that's a pretty brief battle, when contrasted with Dave's lifetime of struggle. The optimist in me thinks I can do it. The pessimist thinks I'm nuts; there's only one way to find out which voice will prove prophetic.
So I'm asking for your support. We all know people who struggle in the shadows and silence of depression. Your support will go directly to SAVE , a Twin Cities-based nonprofit that relies on public support to accomplish its mission of "increasing public awareness of suicide, and providing education and resources."
And hey, if you can't support this endeavor financially, I get it, that's okay. This site makes you declare a campaign goal, so I grabbed a number out of thin air. That said, I would very much appreciate your good wishes for a swift current, cool water and strong winds out of the South to better propel me towards the finish line :-)
I love and miss you Dave. Ironically, we both know that if you were still here, you'd get a kick out of this effort and you'd be right there beside me in a kayak or canoe coaxing me onward.
Thanks...time to go carbo load!
Dan
Dear friends:
Five years ago this summer, Dave Kemmerling, my friend of 30-plus years, ended a long battle with depression by tragically taking his life. Dave was a fighter. He'd get knocked down time and again and amazingly, he'd get back up. He was one of the toughest people I’ve ever known, marathoner, triathlete, cancer survivor. Depression, unfortunately, proved to be Dave’s toughest foe, and it finally sapped him of the will to get up once more.
Dave left behind parents who cherished him, and younger siblings who admired him for his tenderness and tenacity. They are my family now and to support them, and others just like them, I'm embarking on a 36-mile swimming race on the Red River on June 20th. It’s billed as the "longest swimming race in North America" and it’s more than 5-times further than I've ever swum competitively.
For Dave, who battled life on life’s terms for such a long time, I feel compelled to try this. Depending on water flow, temperature and wind conditions, I anticipate it'll take anywhere from 12-15 hours to complete. To me that's a pretty brief battle, when contrasted with Dave's lifetime of struggle. The optimist in me thinks I can do it. The pessimist thinks I'm nuts; there's only one way to find out which voice will prove prophetic.
So I'm asking for your support. We all know people who struggle in the shadows and silence of depression. Your support will go directly to SAVE , a Twin Cities-based nonprofit that relies on public support to accomplish its mission of "increasing public awareness of suicide, and providing education and resources."
And hey, if you can't support this endeavor financially, I get it, that's okay. This site makes you declare a campaign goal, so I grabbed a number out of thin air. That said, I would very much appreciate your good wishes for a swift current, cool water and strong winds out of the South to better propel me towards the finish line :-)
I love and miss you Dave. Ironically, we both know that if you were still here, you'd get a kick out of this effort and you'd be right there beside me in a kayak or canoe coaxing me onward.
Thanks...time to go carbo load!
Dan
Organizer
Dan Endy
Organizer
Minneapolis, MN
Suicide Awareness Voices of Education
Beneficiary