Louri Snider lost her son Mark to suicide in 2019 and since then it has been her mission to spread awareness about mental health.
“Baseball For Dad” was started to honour Mark. Snider says her son loved baseball, so she thought up the idea to hide baseball gloves around the area with a card explaining who Mark is, and what they’re trying to do with the mental health initiative.
Snider recently thought up another idea to honour her son – “Mark’s Buddy Benches.” She says they’re working with RJK Welding to create benches that honour Mark and will have them placed around North Hastings. One bench is already up at the Mayo Community Centre in Carlow/Mayo Township. There are seven other benches that have been ordered by individuals, businesses and schools.
Bancroft council approved putting a bench somewhere in town, as did Carlow/Mayo council who have pledged to put one in Foster Lake Park next year.
“We’re always looking for additional park benches and if we can form a partnership with a community group and raise awareness, it’s a great opportunity,” Manager of Buildings and Parks Pat Hoover told council last week.
“We talked as a family where we want to go with this,” Snider says of the benches. “We thought about the things that were important to Mark.” With the benches, Snider says they’re shifting their focus to work with kids. She says that’s not to say they won’t be working with adults, but Snider points out that Mark loved his kids so they want to promote that with their initiative.
When Snider reached out to the welders to help out, she says they offered to donate the first bench free of charge. Watts and Sutherland Auto Body in Bancroft also stepped up to help paint all the benches red. “Red was Mark’s favourite colour,” Snider says.
Hashtag “baseball for dad” is written along the bottom of each bench. The back features a baseball glove and bat with Mark’s name, while the arms have a bear and deer on either side. “They did a fabulous job,” Snider says of the work the welders did.
If you want to purchase a bench, Snider says to reach out to her through Baseball For Dad’s Facebook page.