STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Normally, you’d find the foursome batting around hockey pucks.

But on Friday the Sun Valley Suns hockey players--Max Tardy Eli Conrad, Doug Yeates and Mike Curry--swung drivers and irons around Elkhorn Golf Course in honor of their late friend and teammate Caleb Baukol.

The four were among 88 Sun Valley-area residents who took part in the third annual Swing Fore Recovery tournament in memory of friends like Baukol, who took his life two years ago. Their hope was that their participation could lead to better mental wellbeing for those who remain.

“The Sun Valley Suns sponsored a golf hole in Caleb’s memory,” said Tardy, who was dressed in the fashion of legendary Bobby Jones, who co-founded the Masters Tournament. “It’s a way to remember someone who meant a lot to us.”

Aspen leaves were beginning to turn from green to yellow and orange as golfers played through under cloudless blue skies.

“Last year we had hail that looked like golf balls and snow!” said Jeff Bradford.  “It didn’t matter, though. We were out there to support people living well with mental issues.”

Elaine Niedrich was playing her first-ever game of golf.

“It’s so exciting—I couldn’t wait to do it,” she said, as she fished her ball out of a pond where ducks were performing headstands. “My brother and father played golf but I couldn’t afford it. Then this opportunity came along and I grabbed it.”

Back at the clubhouse, St. Luke’s Psychiatrist Susanne Choby, therapist Lydia Missal and Center for Community Health Director Erin Pfaefle took their seats with Hospital Director Cody Langbehn and other members of St. Luke’s golf team over pulled pork sliders, highly addictive truffle fries and red velvet cupcakes.

Choby told how her clinic had just hired a new therapist—Alison Burpee. That makes four therapists, including Lydia Missel, Cate Cox and Stephanie Herald. The clinic has cut its wait times for specialty psychiatry from two to three months to two to three weeks.

And, she added, Lydia Missal has completed her EMDR certification, making her one of about 4,000 professionals who are certified in the United States and the only certified EMDR therapist in the area.

EMDR, or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, has proven quite successful in treating PTSD and addiction, said Choby.

Daniel Hansen, secretary of NAMI-WRV, saluted those in the room for showing up: “You’re investing in a stronger, healthier community by being part of this, by being part of the conversation.”

Christina Cernansky, who heads up NAMI-WRV, said her organization and The Drug Coalition are teaming up.

The Drug Coalition is combining the youth programming it has been running in Wood River High School and Middle School since 2010 with NAMI’s Bluebirds Club, which was started a couple years ago by student Amber Leyba as a support group for youth dealing with anxiety and other issues.

The Bluebirds will include a support group overseen by NAMI Director Christina Cernansky. And it will include a weekly afterschool program run by Justin Rujawitz, who has been working with Higher Ground.

The afterschool program will learn ways to support one another while hiking, skiing, hanging out with dogs or even cookie making.

“Our goal is to create more resilient kids,” said Rujawitz, a biology/psychology major. “This is an opportunity for youngsters to have positive peer influences, as well as adult mentors. And it’s open to anyone.”

The Bluebirds will also offer youth a “safe zone” in the Community Campus where they can hang out, chat, do homework, enjoy snacks provided by The Hunger Coalition.

The first activity will be a kickball game from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 30, at Keefer Pak off Woodside Boulevard in Hailey.

In addition:

• The Drug Coalition is providing med-return boxes throughout the valley as part of its Prescription Drug Take-Back program.
• The Coalition also oversees retail compliance checks several times a year at local alcohol retail locations to ensure that youth are not purchasing alcohol. Compliance has gone from between 40 percent and 50 percent to between 80 percent and 100 percent compliance since the beginning of the program.
• And the Drug Coalition has passed several Social Hosting Ordinances attaching criminal activity to those hosting underage parties knowing that underage drinking is occurring within their home.

WINNERS OF THE 5B OPEN SWING FORE RECOVERY:

FIRST PLACE: Daniel Hollis, Cole Lorenz, Mike Abaid, Storey Hunter

SECOND PLACE: Michael David, Liz David, Neil Bradshaw, Whit Atkinson

THIRD PLACE: Jackie Demerel, Janet Bostwick, Chris Kraatz, Donna Carvey

CLOSEST TO THE PIN: Vicki Shapiro and Carl Hjelm

LONG DRIVE: Jen Harper and Mike Abaid