friday night light pSome big names in the sports and entertainment field are lending their voice to Team 55 Let’s Tackle Suicide Awareness’ 2020 Friday Night Lights fundraiser.

This is the first time the eighth annual fundraiser won’t be held in person because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But a 25-minute video will be released on YouTube and shown in local high schools Friday afternoon ahead of the conclusion of an online auction.

Athletic icons like Silken Laumann, Michael (Pinball) Clemons, Kyle Dubas, Mike Fisher, Richard Clune, Akil Thomas, musical acts like Three Days Grace’s Neil Sanderson, Chad Brownlee, James Barker, Eva Avila, children’s entertainer Fred Penner and TV personalities Dan O’Toole, Jay Onrait, Michael Landsberg and Michelle Mackey are among those with inspirational messages.

Team 55 founder Dave Pogue said the message and mission of Team 55 is too important to take a year off.

“We’re pretty excited about the lineup we have on the video and the message,” he said. “The message we’re trying to bring forth is, ‘In your time of need or isolation who would you talk to? That’s what our speakers really key into.

“We have a little bit of fun with it. There are certainly some serious tones to it but we hope it will really get people thinking about who they would speak to in their time of need.

“In a year where we can’t bring our celebrity speakers to Thomas A. Stewart for people to visit and listen to, what’s important to us is we continue to bring a message annually to this community.

“We also hope it will drive people to our online auction for the final few hours.”

The auction, at www.givergy.ca/Team55FNL will close in stages Friday between 7:30-9 p.m.

There are more than 90 auction items including private Zoom calls with members of Three Days Grace, the James Barker Band and O’Toole and Onrait from TSN’s Sports Centre.

Country music superstar Carrie Underwood has donated a signed guitar. Other items include a backyard movie night from Lunar Flix, golf packages, a $1,000 gift card from Havelock Metal toward metal roofing or siding, a kayak, trampoline and many others.

“I can’t stress enough how local companies have stepped forward once again to donate items and money,” said Pogue. “I keep thinking I’ve seen it all over the last eight years of fundraising and I’m still blown away every time. My love for this community continues to boil over every year. We thank them.”

He said the goal was to raise $13,500 and the auction had already passed $12,000 by Wednesday afternoon with another $6,000 in donations.

“We’re super pumped,” said Pogue. “To be at the levels we’re at now, knowing there will be a good push on the last day and particularly the last few hours, I’m pretty excited.”

The video will be sent to the principals of all six city high schools to be broadcast to students on Friday. Links to the video will be posted on Team 55’ and CMHA Facebook and Twitter feeds.

“It’s important for us to include all six of the local high schools because they’ve really been the driving force behind Friday Night Lights.

“Nothing replicates having the students involved. That’s really important to us; being down there all day long to watch the rugby, football and soccer that go on at TASSS. That’s really what we’re missing the most … We want to be back on the field next year for our ninth annual.”

All proceeds go to the CMHA’s Assertive Outreach for Suicide Prevention (AOSP) program. Team 55 funds 50 per cent of the $80,000 AOSP annual budget. AOSP offers support to people who have attempted suicide. Since launching in 2016 AOSP has counselled 330 people after their discharge from hospital.