"So three guys are walking up to WalMart ..." It's not the beginning of a cheesy joke, but the start of a project that these three men hope will bring some cheer to people struggling with their mental health this year.  They believe that everyone knows a Rudolph who just isn't joining in those reindeer games and could use a hand.

So they enlisted the help of Kathy Hopson at Wolf River Farm and with only one quarter of one tree they built their first Rudolph – and then his whole extended family!

"Rudolph's struggles are an example of what people who suffer from mental illness go through every day of their lives, " says Chris O'Neill, one of the three who has had some struggles of his own over the years. He says this new project has kept him grounded and given him some purpose and a sense of direction. Adam Robinson and Cid Medeiros, proud to be the other two members of the team, nod in agreement.

A big ad in Tuesday's Sun Times got the ball rolling, and by Thursday Neil at Frog Ponds had agreed to let them put a well-lit, well-dressed Rudolph in the café for a silent auction.
This Saturday and next, the men will be bringing Rudolph and lots of relatives to the Owen Sound Farmers' Market. $60 for a Rudolf, and $175 for a family - a buck, a doe and a fawn, with all proceeds to Mental Health. They are starting to imagine where their Rudolphs might go, and hoping people will post pictures of them on Facebook.

The men are hoping this is the "first annual" - they're already stockpiling wood for future projects.

To place an order (it can be delivered to your house and it comes apart for storage) - text or call Chris at 226-218-8566 or email [email protected].