Screamfield scaring up help for the mentally ill

Springfield’s Kellen De Vos along with some other volunteers have organized a new Halloween-themed event for the village called Screamfield. Staged along a trail outside Malahide Community Place that ends in the Springfield Library, the haunted event takes place from 7-10 p.m. on both Tuesday, Oct. 28 and Thursday, Oct. 30. Cost is “a toonie per head!” Proceeds will go towards the Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses run by the Canadian Mental Health Association Elgin Branch in St. Thomas. Partners in the event include Mr. De Vos’s new initiative, Out There Creative Therapy, the Springfield Library, the Springfield Leos Club and Malahide Community Place. While the haunted trail is recommended for ages 10 and up, a program for younger children will be run in the library from 7-8:30 p.m. both nights. Mr. De Vos was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2008 when he was in his early 20s and living in Toronto. He now wants to help other young men, women and teens who suffer from similar mental illnesses.