Orford
“You don’t think about bringing up something like that until it hits you,” Longacre said during a recent interview.
And a few years ago it did, when a high school-age daughter of one of Longacre’s friends died by suicide.
“Unfortunately, that’s how you get involved,” she said.
Soon after, in 2012, Longacre and a group of other women formed the Paradox Paddlers — named for Lake Paradox, where the group often gathers — and began participating yearly in PaddlePower, a fundraiser for mental health treatment and suicide prevention services at West Central Behavioral Health. This year’s event takes place Saturday and Sunday.
“Our team started out pretty small,” Longacre said. It’s since grown to more than 18 people. They participate to “honor the people … we lost and to support the people who are left behind.”
Longacre and her husband, Joe, were named this year’s honorary chairs for the event.
“When we think about people that are dedicated … Joe and Margo were just an obvious choice,” said Catherine Hogan, director of development and community relations at West Central Behavioral Health.
The Paradox Paddlers group has raised thousands of dollars since it was formed. The money raised from PaddlePower raises 15-20 percent of the organization’s budget. “We knew … they would roll up their sleeves and take it on,” Hogan said.
This year, three generations of the Longacre family will participate in the two-day Connecticut River paddle. A 5K walk on Sunday has been added for those who prefer to stay on dry land.
In addition to fundraising, the Longacres serve as community ambassadors.
While talking with fellow business owners about PaddlePower, Joe Longacre emphasizes that it’s a “long-term investment in the community” to support services such as the crisis hotline. Since PaddlePower follows well-known fundraisers such as the Prouty, “it is a challenge to get people to commit.”
It’s also a topic that few are comfortable talking about. The stigma attached to suicide still runs deep and it remains difficult for people — particularly families of those who died — to discuss openly.
“We get more than 3,000 calls a year to the emergency hotline,” Hogan said during an interview at the Valley News, along with the Longacres, adding that the line is staffed by clinicians, not volunteers.
“Is there a theme?” Joe Longacre asked.
“It is all over the map,” Hogan replied. “It’s universal. There isn’t a stronger theme among age, race, socioeconomic background. … Unfortunately, we can’t pin it down to X.”
People are reluctant to reach out for help because of that stigma, which West Central tries to erase through PaddlePower, “not only raising funds,” Hogan said, but “trying to push these topics and this awareness to get help.”
Throughout the course of the interview, Margo and Joe Longacre are able to speak beyond the health care jargon that too frequently clouds these conversations. Through their standing in the community and their down-to-earth manner, the couple are able to take all the statistics out there — including a recent report citing increased rates of teen suicide — and personalize the numbers. These are two people who care enormously for their neighbors and want to make sure people know what is at stake.
“You’re running a race,” said Joe Longacre, comparing mental illness to sack and three-legged races at school field days. “You’re handicapped with things that you’re never going to win.”
But there are services that are available to help.
“Depression can hit anyone at anytime,” Margo Longacre said.
Hogan drives the point home: “Reach out for help before it’s too late,” she said. “If your daughter broke her leg, you wouldn’t think twice about bringing her to the emergency room.”
Throughout PaddlePower, people connect through shared experiences.
“It’s just being there to support each other,” Margo Longacre said.
Sometimes they tell each other about their personal experiences. Other times, stories are conveyed with a look and a hug. Sometimes, it’s concealed altogether.
“So we have a real challenge,” Joe Longacre said. Which is why they need to get the community to keep talking about it.
“That’s what helps people,” Margo Longacre said.
Editor’s note: For more information about participating or volunteering for PaddlePower, visit http://www.paddlepower.org/, call 603-448-0126 or email info.paddlepower@wcbh.org. West Central Behavioral Health’s 24-hour hotline is 1-800-564-2578. Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
