A Listowel man plans to cycle from Waterloo to Wingham Friday in support of mental health awareness.
Braeden Ellis plans to ride his bike from Waterloo Town Square to F.E. Madill in Wingham, to raise awareness and honour the memory of Lexi Brown.
Ellis says a number of people he knew have taken their own lives recently, and he wanted to do something to encourage people to be more aware when it comes to mental health.
"I think kids our age nowadays need to understand that we have a big voice and we need to start using it. So I figured if I could start the fire it could only get bigger," he says. "I just hope to bring everybody together and hopefully try to end this stigma."
Braeden will leave Waterloo at 1pm Friday afternoon and arrive at F.E. Madill around 6:30pm, where there will be a gathering to spark conversations about mental health and suicide awareness.
"I was friends with Lexi and for anyone that knew her, we all knew she was the light in every room she was in, she always had that smile to bring everyone up," says Ellis "It really hit home for me, that was another thing that sparked me to do this ride. I just want to honour her, and her family."