When someone dies by suicide, family and friends are often left with little or no support, a difficult road to understanding what happened, and survivor’s guilt.
After Allan McClay died in 2020 at age 56, his family – including his children and nieces – decided they would not dwell on his death and instead celebrate McClay’s life. They started Foundation 33 to help other people dealing with similar circumstances. That’s the inspiration behind Allan’s Rockin’ Revival, which is set for Oct. 27 at Memorial Hall. It will feature music that McClay treasured, while raising money for suicide prevention and support.
Those who knew McClay described him as happy-go-lucky guy who enjoyed helping people. There were some red flags about his state of mind, but nothing to prepare his family for what happened.
He grew up in Franklin and spent summers at a home his grandfather built at White Horse Beach. He played keyboards and shared his love of music with his brother Gordie. He eventually moved to Florida and lived with his wife and two children, but came back to Plymouth often, especially in the summer.
“My brother was the last guy you would think would commit suicide,” Gordie said. “He was the life of the party, the guy who did everything for everyone. He’d pull over and help you with a flat tire without question. He made 400 plans with 400 people and just would do anything for you…Hindsight being what it is, it was probably a cover-up for how he wanted to make others happy because he was unhappy.”
The lingering stigma of death by suicide complicates the healing process for survivors. In 2023, more than 50,000 people died of suicide in the US alone. The aftermath can be overwhelming for those left to ask why, or what they could have done.
Foundation 33 was founded by Allan’s children, Dylan and Nikki; his niece Alex Smolinsky; and two close friends Hayley Giamberini and Patrick Doran. Its mission is “to provide relief and support to the victims impacted by suicide and struggling in the presence of tragedy; to include the families, communities, and first responders,” according to its website. “We are geared towards being active in community outreach efforts to educate, increase awareness and reduce stigmas associated with mental health in order to prevent suicide.”
The nonprofit focuses its efforts on providing support and relief in small but meaningful ways. For example, Gordie said, “The Foundation has given a $5,000 scholarship to a Plymouth North student who had a family member commit suicide and was trying to get to school so we helped them with some college stuff. And then we helped a Pembroke High School student in a similar situation.”
The Foundation has raised more than $25,000 from two golf tournaments but hopes that Allan’s Rockin Revival will be an annual event with a goal of raising $10,000 annually.
The Oct. 27 event, which begins at 5 p.m., will feature the band Vinyl Revival – which includes Gordie on guitar, playing classic rock songs that he and his brother listened to growing up – and Dalton and the Sheriffs who have more of a rock/country vibe.
In addition, the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention and Foundation 33 will have a table set up at Memorial Hall for anyone who wants more information about the subject.
Tickets are $40 and you can get them here.