Two years after the sudden death of Cushendall mother Lisa McAlister, her legacy is continuing to change the conversation surrounding mental health in the Glens of Antrim.
The 30-year-old, who was described as “bubbly and vibrant”, had set out to raise money for mental health charities before her death, a commitment her family promised to fulfil in her memory.
In May 2021, the Co Antrim community came together to take part in ‘Race for Lisa’ to mark what would have been her 31st birthday - raising a total of £70,000 in her name.
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Her brother Mark McAlister told Belfast Live that a year since their fundraising event, he is delighted to see the money begin to make a difference in the local area.
He said: "We really never expected to raise as much as we did and we were overwhelmed and wanted to make sure we did everything properly. We went about trying to set up the Lisa McAlister Foundation that we have mirrored on the Stephen Clements Foundation.
"We took some time to digest everything because it was such an emotional time for us - we took the summer to ourselves, Lisa's anniversary was tough and then we went about getting things started. The committee was already there from the race and the family can discuss where we want the funds to go and then they can get the go-ahead from them."
The family took some time this year to reflect on Lisa's anniversary privately with two of her brothers and her uncle completing her memorial walk but Mark hopes they can bring 'Race for Lisa' back again in the future.
The Lisa McAlister Foundation was able to donate a total of £25,000 to the Niamh Louise Foundation, a Co Tyrone charity in the area where Mark teaches that has been there for the family since the start of their journey.
"Every charity that receives funds has to fill in an application in how they will adhere to the conditions of Lisa's legacy which is mental health work in the Glens. The Niamh Louise Foundation has committed itself to come up to Cushendall throughout the year to give mental health first-aid training to local leaders and a whole array of other initiatives they are going to do.
"The money is going to pay for another member of staff to join them and support them coming up to the Glens to deliver awareness sessions and intervention support and support to those families bereaved by suicide," Mark explained.
An additional £10,000 has been donated to Ireland's leading social justice charity Extern which Mark believes has "breathed new life" into the Glens since beginning their work in Lisa's name.
Mark continued: "They have great ideas about developing community leaders who will leave a lasting legacy behind. They are going to use all the local cafes, businesses and enterprises to host their events - they are very much about promoting the locality which is what we want.
"Extern will take care of the mental health and welfare side of things and help people at different stages to ensure they do not get into that depression or anxious state. They have committed to using our local youth club and have promised to support all generations of people and make sure that everyone is mentally well and a network to reach out to.
"They are going to bring their training and counselling services here and strengthening our local institutions too."
Mark hopes that Lisa's money can also go towards organising "positive mental health activities" that incorporate the beauty of their natural surroundings such as cold water dips and sand art sessions.
The Lisa McAlister Foundation has also donated another £5,000 to their local GAA club to develop their well-being and support services for members. With the remaining £30,000, Mark said that the family have plans to donate to the Cushendall Men's Shed, the youth club, Glenann Primary School who have been "so supportive" to the McAlister's over the past two years and Bernardos.
"We want Lisa's legacy to have a lasting impact in the Glens of Antrim and if we can achieve even a fraction of that then we will have done her proud and that is the main thing to us."
If you or someone you know is in distress or despair, call the freephone 24/7 crisis helpline Lifeline on 0808 808 8000.
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