STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Hope is not cancelled.

That’s the message members of the 5B Suicide Prevention Alliance are trying to get across in several short video clips this winter.

The clips show different community members sharing their ideas of hope and joy, concluding each with community resources to remind viewers that there are people ready to help if hope feels out of reach right now … or ever.

“We realized how difficult this time is for so many people and that a lot of things we all consider normal are cancelled,” said Laurie Strand, a mental health coordinator for the Blaine County School District. “We wanted to do something fun, something that helps remind our community that ‘Hope is not cancelled.’ ”

The minute-long videos, titled “Hope is in the Air,” revolve around such questions as What helps? What gives hope? What brings you joy.

Among those interviewed are Diesel Ward, Bud Haslam, Scott McGrew, Jennifer Rangel, Brandeis Coshow, Dr. Deborah Robertson and Rubi Chanco. Oh, and school social worker Julie Carney and her friend Herman, whom you will have to watch the video to meet.

Strand says the children she sees at school have remained resilient in the face of the new world that has confronted them because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Kids really are resilient. They’re acclimated to wearing masks—it’s just what we’re doing now. But there are so many families struggling right now so it is filtering down to the kids a little,” she said.

Experts say it’s important for children and adults alike to have a routine because it makes them feel more normal. And make time to have fun as a family, especially when you can’t be with friends right now.

Here are the first two videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDHFmRaNDE8&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlDaJy_u7Cw&feature=youtu.be