Geelong locals taking one step forward for mental health

A GEELONG mother-daughter duo are bravely putting one foot in front of the other this month to pay tribute to a loved one lost to mental illness.

Janina Lear and her daughter Lola are honouring the life of their son/brother Jonah Lear by participating in the Black Dog Institute One Foot Forward mental health walk initiative throughout October.

Jonah Lear passed away November 28, 2022, following a battle with mental illness.

The One Foot Forward walk aims to help reduce the impacts of mental illness and suicide in Australia.

All proceeds from the initiative will go into ground-breaking new mental health treatment, education and digital services for those who need it the most.

Ms Lear said even helping to save just one person can make all the difference to a family.

“Since we lost Jonah in November last year, I’ve just been trying to fundraise all I can for Black Dog Institute and other mental health charities.

“He seemed to be a really happy guy, so it really blindsided everyone.

“When you’re not feeling that great mentally, you normally wouldn’t do something like the walk, but this provides us with a great initiative to get our brains focused and concentrate on the mental health aspect of it all.

“I just do it with Jonah in mind. Our life is just so different without him. His death has blown up our family, so we don’t want this for anyone else.

“We are just trying to do anything we can do. Even one person. It might not be much to the world, but its everything to a family.”

Ms Lear said the Jonah’s Wings team was well on its way to achieving its $10,000 fundraising goal, having already raised more than $7,800 in donations.

“We are currently second on the leaderboard for teams Australia-wide which is just amazing.

“For me I’ve got an 100km goal, however our full team is aiming to do 2,555km over the month.

“Our team is made up of people from Melbourne, Geelong, Sydney and even America.

“It’s certainly a far-reaching campaign, and it’s fantastic everyone is really getting behind it.

“I wish it wasn’t our story, but it is, and we are committed to doing all we can to make a difference.”

Ms Lear, who organises the Piccadilly Market, will be donating 100 per cent of the proceeds from her October 22 market at the Geelong West Hall to the Black Dog Institute.

It will be a gold coin donation and run from 10-3pm.

To donate to the Jonah’s Wings team, head to www.onefootforward.org.au/fundraisers/JonahsWings