Surviving The Dark Times

Thomas Vickers took his own life in November 2021, at just 20 years old, after a lengthy fight against depression.

After losing Thomas, his mum Lizz Kelly, together with her close friend Sheryn McDowell, decided that something needed to be done to increase access to mental health support in their small town of Terang, in South West Victoria.

Lizz & Sheryn are both currently studying a Certificate IV in Mental Health through Open Colleges so that they themselves can establish a judgement-free mental health community hub in Terang.

The pair are working towards creating a welcoming and safe space for anyone who wishes to drop in and talk about their mental health. Opening the hub locally will mean that the farming families of Terang will no longer need to travel long distances to Warrnambool, Colac, Ballarat or Geelong in order to see someone who is qualified or someone who they're comfortable talking to.

On Sunday, October 2nd, 2022, Thomas' brother Xavier Vickers, along with his friends Kane Johnstone, Hugh Porter & Connor Cardwell, ran 42km in the Melbourne Marathon to honour Thomas and to decrease the stigma surrounding suicide & mental illness within the local community. Their campaign "Let's Dog the Black Dog" raised an incredible $32,000+ for Lizz & Sheryn's project.

Click here to hear more from Lizz & Sheryn on what their plans are for the mental health hub.

Click here to listen to Lizz's Speech at "Let's Ball", a fundraising event held in December 2022 by Terang Basketball & Terang Fitness, where $3000+ was raised for Surviving The Dark Times.

In April 2023, a local Terang boy Jaxson Church cut his long hair to donate it to "Wigs For Kids", while at the same time raising awareness for our cause and more than $2000+ in funds.

Lizz & Sheryn have been overwhelmed by the incredible support they have received by the local community in South West Victoria and each day move one step closer to their goal of opening up the "Surviving The Dark Times" hub.

Click here to follow our Facebook page for updates

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All funds raised will directly assist the Surviving The Dark Times team in covering the costs involved with setting up the hub. All donations go directly to the registered beneficiary of this fundraiser, Lizz Kelly.