Close to one year ago, an emotional Haley Scriver announced the launch of Roter’s Reach Mental Health Awareness on behalf of her family — the pain of indescribable loss etched clearly on her face and heard in her voice.
Now well established, the organization founded in memory of her late brother Eric Roter has made its initial donations in support of local mental health services and supports, the details of which are featured in a striking video debuting this week on Scriver’s social media platforms.
As outlined in the three-and-a-half-minute video, narrated by Scriver and produced by her friend and local musician Melissa Payne, Roter’s Reach has taken in $20,000 since its launch — a result that has Scriver and her family “blown away” by the response.
Of that amount, Roter’s Reach recently donated $15,000 to Right to Heal PTBO, a Peterborough-based organization dedicated to the furtherance of healing as a fundamental right as opposed to a privilege. To that end, it offers a safe haven for those in recovery or seeking wellness.
Meanwhile, the remaining $5,000 has been allocated to support the Apsley community, which is the Roter family’s hometown.
Along with funding the planting of a memorial tree in the village’s Lions Park, the donation will bolster mental health services at Apsley Central Public School as well as provide teachers with access to resources that will help them better understand and educate their students on mental health.
It was on September 25, 2023 that life changed forever for Scriver, her brother Sam Roter, her parents William and Joanne Roter, Eric’s wife Kortney (Roter) Hilderbrandt, and their extended family members and friends.
On that day, 13 years after he was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder, 32-year-old Eric took his own life — the tragic culmination of a downward spiral that Scriver described in agonizing detail at the Roter’s Reach launch. In addition, the launch served as a platform for the family’s stinging indictment of a number of agencies and a lack of resources that Eric desperately needed to navigate his mental illness.
“We’ve definitely had to do a lot of healing,” says Scriver, reflecting on the journey since Roter’s Reach was announced. “We had to come to terms with the trauma (of Eric’s passing). That was really challenging. We were pretty private people before this, but I knew it was a huge highlight of the flaws in our mental health system.”
“Putting our story out there was really difficult — sharing the most challenging time in my life and that of my family — but hearing back from so many people that have been in a similar situation has helped,” Scriver adds.
“We’ve heard from many that they now realized somebody in their life is struggling with mental health. To know we’ve made a difference, big or small, has helped us in the healing process. That’s meaningful for us.”
Over the past year, a number of community fundraisers — among them the 5th annual Creekside Music Festival held in September in Apsley — have brought donations Roter’s Reach way. Money has been raised as well via the sale of signature apparel and ball caps emblazoned with the Roter’s Reach logo.
VIDEO: Roter’s Reach Mental Health Awareness (narrated by Haley Scriver)
Scriver elaborates on the decision to donate the bulk of the money brought in to Right to Heal.
“There’s a woman that works there that went to high school with Eric,” Scriver says. “When Eric was very manic, he posted on his Instagram. She saw his post, reached out to him, and offered the services of Right to Heal. After Eric passed away, she messaged me, offered her condolences and told me about that. I started following Right to Heal, learning about them and what they do in the community.”
“The medical system wasn’t very helpful to us. These guys are holistic healers and have a place for people to come and warm up and have a coffee and do some healing, so we chose to go in that direction.”
For her part, Right to Heal’s director of care Peggy Shaughnessy is thrilled over Roter’s Reach donation.
“For people to see what we do and recognize how great the work is here — we cried when they gave it to us,” she says of the donation. “Any little bit helps, but it goes beyond the dollar value. It brings awareness to a family’s struggle to try to get help for someone they love and the system has failed them. They recognize we have something here that’s different and could have helped.”
Shaughnessy notes Scriver took the time to educate herself firsthand about Right to Heal’s mission and services, which ultimately led to family members having come a few times for support.
Right to Heal, adds Shaughnessy, gets “very little funding,” making this donation even more meaningful. While she credits Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith with getting her organization “some funding” from the Ontario government, she says it hasn’t been enough on its own.
As for what befell Scriver’s family, Shaughnessy says it is, sadly, not a rare experience.
“Building community isn’t just running programs and sending people out on the street. What we’re trying to build here is our own little community. It isn’t just for those with mental health and addiction (issues). It’s also for those who are also suffering through tragic events like this.”
“Don’t get me wrong. Hospice (Peterborough) has great grief circles, but families going through something like this need someplace to heal as well. We all do. Like our name says, everyone has the right to heal. Not just those showing behaviours that they need help, but those people suffering in silence also need a space.”
For Scriver, Roter’s Reach not only serves as vehicle to fund mental health services and supports. It also honours her brother’s kindness to others despite dealing with his own illness.
“Eric was a mental health advocate,” she says. “There’s a story of him literally giving the shirt off his back to someone he saw struggling. He would stop and speak to people on the street. He would give them meals. He was there for people that were less fortunate or struggling.”
Moving forward, Scriver says Roter’s Reach will continue to gratefully accept any and all donations, be they from community events or individuals. Donations can be made online at rotersreach.ca, where related merchandise can also be purchased in support of the organization.
On Saturday, December 14th from noon to 3 p.m., Parberry’s Farm at 2661 Forest Hill Road in Selwyn will host its second annual Christmas family event, with all proceeds once again going to Roter’s Reach.
“Something we’re going to work more toward is collaborating with others,” says Scriver of what’s ahead.
“This year has been so hard for us. We haven’t been able to reach out to everybody that’s offered help. It’s been a year of healing to get to the point to where maybe we can make this into something else, but there’s no definite plans in that regard at the moment.”
