Gavin Quinn of the Outsider Insight program says snowboarding helps him through his mental illness. “Snowboarding has been one of the most positive and productive things I could do with my winter,” says Quinn, who has been living with mental health issues for about 10 years.
“You get to exercise and go out on the beautiful hills. It’s just really cool.”
That’s why the Canadian Association for Disabled Skiing was his charity of choice for Outsider Insight’s second annual Broken Deck Show. Outsider Insight started off as a peer-support program aimed at artists with mental illnesses. The nature of the program has gone through some changes, Quinn says, but many of the goals remain the same. Supporting CADS is a testament to that.
The show—taking place at Elle’s Bistro on Friday—displays works of art made from broken skateboards. Local talent such as the Blackbook Collective, among other artists, offered their skills to turn trash into treasure.
A portion of proceeds from art sales, as well as money from a draw for a brand-new skateboard, will go towards CADS. The organization gets people with mental and physical disabilities or illnesses on the hill to participate in alpine snow sports like skiing or snowboarding.
“It is areally good cause and a lot of people are getting behind it,” says Quinn, who expresses major gratitude to everyone involved in the show. “If I can help out in my little way, I’ll definitely try my best.”
Broken Decks starts at 6pm tomorrow at Elle's and runs until 9pm.