2016 Community Fund grants for 9 more local mental health
organizations
HALIFAX, Oct. 6, 2016 /CNW/ - In celebration of
Mental Illness Awareness Week, the Bell Let's Talk Community Fund
today announced a total of $135,000
in grants to help community mental health organizations in
New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova
Scotia and PEI support people living with mental
illness.
"All of us at Bell Aliant are extremely proud to support the
grassroots efforts of these inspiring organizations with grants
from the annual Bell Let's Talk Community Fund," said Dan McKeen, Bell
Senior Vice President and Vice Chair, Atlantic. "These 9 groups are
true mental health change agents, providing localized services that
directly address the needs of people in our communities who are
affected by mental illness."
With a focus on local projects and grassroots organizations, the
$1-million annual Bell Let's Talk
Community Fund provides grants for community-based mental health
initiatives improving access to care. Since 2011, the Bell Let's
Talk Community Fund has supported almost 350 community groups in
every region of Canada, including the 72 receiving grants this
year.
The organizations in Atlantic
Canada receiving grants this year are Eating Disorders Nova
Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador
Association of Fire Services, Partners for Care, Partners for
Youth, PEI Family Violence Prevention Services, Seniors Resource
Centre of Newfoundland and
Labrador, Student-Athlete Mental
Health Initiative, The Pottle Centre and Village des Sources
l'Étoile Filante.
"On behalf of all of this year's Atlantic Canada community fund recipients,
Partners for Youth thanks Bell Let's Talk for supporting the mental
health programs we offer in our respective communities," said
John Sharpe, CEO of Partners for
Youth Inc. "These grants will help to extend our programming and
increase access to care for many Atlantic Canadians across all 4
provinces."
To learn more about the Bell Let's Talk Community Fund, please
visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
To learn more about Mental Illness Awareness Week, please visit
http://www.camimh.ca/mental-illness-awareness-week.
About Bell Let's Talk
Bell Let's Talk promotes mental
health based on 4 action pillars: anti-stigma, care and access, new
research, and workplace best practices. Bell Let's Talk was
launched in 2010 as a 5-year program with a $50 million donation from Bell, and a commitment
to grow funding based on the engagement of Canadians in the cause
on Bell Let's Talk Day each year.
In September 2015, the fifth
anniversary of the initiative, Bell announced it would extend Bell
Let's Talk a further 5 years and commit to at least $100 million in total funding for Canadian mental
health.
Bell's total donation commitment to mental health has now grown
to $79,919,178.55. Since 2010, Bell
Let's Talk has supported more than 600 organizations from the
largest healthcare and research institutions to the smallest
grassroots mental health organizations in every province and
territory.
About Bell
Canada's largest communications company,
Bell provides consumer, business and government customers with a
comprehensive and innovative suite of broadband wireless, TV,
Internet and business communication services from Bell Canada and Bell Aliant. Bell Media is
Canada's premier multimedia company with leading television, radio,
out of home and digital media properties. Founded in Montréal in
1880, Bell is wholly owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE). To learn
more, please visit BCE.ca or Bell.ca.
The Bell Let's Talk Community Fund is supporting 9
organizations in Atlantic
Canada
Eating Disorders Nova Scotia – Dartmouth, NS
To battle the ongoing
scourge of eating disorders, Eating Disorders Nova Scotia will use
the Bell Let's Talk Community Fund grant to deliver training to
peer support groups in three additional communities in the
province: Bridgewater,
Antigonish and Kentville. The organization's peer support
groups reduce isolation, build healthy coping skills and encourage
people to seek help in a safe, supportive environment.
Newfoundland and Labrador
Association of Fire Services – Gander,
NL
The Association will use the Bell Let's Talk
Community Fund grant to train first responders to provide Critical
Incident Stress Management training. The focus will be on members
working on the west coast of Newfoundland from Pasadena to Port Aux Basque and up the
Northern Peninsula. In this region, first responders often work in
isolation from services that can help them overcome post-traumatic
stress disorder and other related effects of their work.
Partners for Care – Halifax/Dartmouth,
NS
The Bell Let's Talk Community Fund grant will
support a new project co-ordinator to better integrate the work of
the Back to Our Roots Urban Farm into the therapeutic program at
the Nova Scotia Hospital. The farm uses gardening to promote
physical, mental and environmental health in hospital patients as
well as providing flowers and vegetables to other parts of the
hospital.
Partners for Youth – Fredericton,
NB
In an effort to increase awareness and reduce
stigma, this organization will invest the Bell Let's Talk Community
Fund grant in its Youth Leadership in Action for Mental Health
program. This involves student-led teams in numerous schools who
work with a program co-ordinator to design and implement an
awareness campaign related to youth mental health. As well as
raising awareness broadly, this initiative also provides
participants with social action knowledge and leadership
skills that are transferable to many other activities throughout
their lives.
PEI Family Violence Prevention Services – Charlottetown, PEI
As well as enabling
the updating of support materials, the Bell Let's Talk Community
Fund grant will allow the creation of 2 additional support
groups in outreach regions across the province as part of the
organization's services which include emergency shelters, a crisis
hotline and public education. The new groups will augment a roster
of support for women, providing much-needed peer support and
content from experts who address topics such as healthy
relationships, self esteem, boundaries, communication and the
law.
Seniors Resource Centre of Newfoundland and Labrador – St.
John's, NL
As part of its mandate to promote the
independence and well-being of older persons throughout the
province, the Centre will use the Bell Let's Talk Community
Fund grant to develop a 2-day workshop and follow-up webinar series
for peer support volunteers. These sessions will eliminate
misconceptions and stereotypes by providing accurate information on
mental health issues and available support services and resources
designed specifically for older people.
Student-Athlete Mental Health Initiative
The Bell
Let's Talk Community Fund grant will enable this organization –
which protects and promotes the mental health of post-secondary
student athletes across Canada – to train almost 450 coaches and
athletes in universities across Atlantic
Canada in a variety of suicide prevention therapies. This is
an extension of the organization's work to not only eliminate
stigma through educational programming, but also to provide
communities with tangible life-saving skills now.
The Pottle Centre – St. John's,
NL
A drop-in social and recreational centre for
adults who need mental health services, the Pottle Centre will use
its Bell Let's Talk Community Fund grant to fill a critical gap in
staff training, especially in areas such as addictions and
concurrent disorders, violence, grief and trauma. Currently, all of
the Centre's funds go to serving its clientele with a variety of
free services, ranging from fitness classes and cultural and sports
activities to organized games and outings such as movie trips.
Village des Sources l'Étoile Filante – Cap-Egmont,
PEI
The Bell Let's Talk Community Fund grant will support
half the cost for 75 adult youth workers and French-language
teachers of grades 5–12 students to take an intensive 14-hour
Mental Health First Aid course enabling them to better deal with
young people suffering from a variety of issues, ranging from
substance abuse, eating disorders, mood disorders, anxiety,
depression and self harm. The Centre is a non-profit organization
that offers social and personal development camps during the school
year to students attending French schools across the province.
SOURCE Bell Canada