The Patrick Shriver Memorial Golf Outing Aug. 2 helped raise funds for the Patrick Shriver Memorial Fund. It was a time of healing, sharing and education since the fund is dedicated to aiding those struggling with mental health issues.Submitted
On April 11, 2024,
the community lost a shining light in Patrick Shriver.
"After Patrick passed away, we did not know how to celebrate his birthday without him. We as a family
spent a lot of time together mourning our loss and reflecting on how we could
best honor Patrick,” his mother Shelly Shriver said. “He touched so many lives
in a positive way.”
The family decided
to have a golf outing at Fire Ridge on Aug. 3 of last year at Patrick's home golf course to
celebrate his birthday. With that outing they made some money and received
donations.
So they decided
to hold the event annually.
After that, they
met with Holmes County Education & Community Memorial Foundation to explore
options.
The decision was
made to create a fund in Patrick's name that organizations can apply for
annually to help people with mental health issues, the Patrick Shriver Memorial
Fund.
“This year we met
with the education/memorial foundation, and the goal was set to raise $25,000
to become an endowed fund in order that Patrick's memory would live on forever,”
Shriver said.
And he is
continuing to help people through this fund.
The family
established ways to donate and created this year's golf outing Saturday, Aug. 2 at Fire Ridge, one of
Patrick’s favorite places to be. Through this emerged healing, awareness,
gratitude and a celebration of Patrick's life, and the family hopes he will
continue to live on through his memorial fund.
Patrick Shriver, front center, found a way to bring joy into the lives of everyone he met. His family is dedicated to helping people find a way past the stigma of mental health struggles through the Patrick Shriver Memorial Fund.Submitted
The outpouring
love and compassion by those who attended the event and donated showed how many lives Patrick touched in his 30 years. The family
recognized the impact he had on people, who shared their memories during the
event, as well as prior to and after it.
The past year and a half has been filled with about every emotion possible, but Shriver knew one
thing: She wanted to honor Patrick in every way possible for two major reasons.
The first was
because of the sheer joy he brought to nearly everyone who entered his life.
The second was to
promote the importance of gaining a better understanding of mental health issues that haunt
so many people.
Shriver said there
is a stigma surrounding mental health issues that prevents people from reaching
out for help or advice.
She wants to try
to do away with the stigma, to let people know it’s OK to ask for help and to
talk about issues.
“It's time to move
beyond the fear and address the many forms of mental health issues that are out
there today affecting people's lives,” she said.
Having experienced
the issue on a personal level, she said honoring Patrick by reaching
out to those struggling with mental health issues is a special purpose for her
family. She admits this has not been easy, and there are times emotions become
overwhelming, but the purpose keeps them focused and on track.
“It is only
through God that we have the strength to do this,” she said. “We have been
through such deep pains and struggles — a family’s worst nightmare — and even the
golf outing was extremely difficult for all attending. The thing that keeps us
going is Patrick can continue to touch people's lives in a new way. Patrick helped anyone who ever needed help,
regardless of the need.
“We
are so grateful for the support and love shown in Patrick's memory. We want to
encourage people to not be afraid to ask someone for help. The bravest thing
you can do is ask for help.”
Shriver said the
family is very grateful to Holmes County Education & Community/Memorial
Foundation, where Ashley Doty and Holley Johnson have been instrumental in
guiding them through the process.
“The truth is
everyone deals with mental health issues on some level,” Shriver said. “Through
this fund we want people to recognize 'you are enough.'”
The family wishes
to offer a special thanks to all the donations and help from friends and
family because each one made this endeavor successful.
Those wishing to
aid the cause may do so by sending a check to Holmes County Education & Community Foundation, 114 N. Grant St., Millersburg, OH 44654, Attn:
Patrick Shriver Memorial Fund.
Donations also are being accepted at www.hcef.net by clicking the "Donate to a Fund” box at the top of the page and searching for
“Patrick Shriver.”
