QUÉBEC CITY, Feb. 24, 2020 CNW/ -
Québec City Mayor Régis Labeaume, and Mr. Jacques Goulet, President of Sun Life Canada,
today announced the creation of a $100,000 mental health fund.
Sun Life will invest $75,000 over
three years and the City of Québec will donate $25,000. This investment stems from the
commitment made last December by Mr. Jacques Goulet, who acted as honorary chair of
the 9th Québec City Mayor's Bal, which raises funds for
the Fondation Jeunes en Tête.
The fund will be managed by the Fondation Jeunes en Tête and
will help the foundation to intervene and invest in areas where the
needs are most important:
- Awareness through the foundation's junior high
school program;
- Early detection in schools;
- Intervention to improve access to health care for
adolescents in difficulty.
"Psychological distress among young people is a major problem in
our society," said Québec City mayor Régis Labeaume. "With this
investment fund, Ville de Québec is going a step further to help
teens who are struggling. We sincerely believe that every action
can give vulnerable youth hope and make a real difference in their
lives."
"The funding announced today will enable the Fondation Jeunes en
Tête to strengthen its impact where the needs are most urgent. With
intervention right from childhood, Sun Life is helping provide
young people with the tools they need to develop resilience for
decades to come. This is part of Sun Life's actions towards
building sustainable and healthier communities, which reinforces
our purpose to help people achieve lifetime financial security and
live healthier lives," Mr. Goulet stated.
"The youth support ecosystem is alive and well in Québec; even
so, it's important to mobilize and raise awareness to better align
prevention, awareness and access to care efforts so that youth in
distress no longer fall through the cracks," stated Catherine Burrows, Associate Executive Director
with the Fondation Jeunes en Tête.
About Fondation Jeunes en Tête
Created from the merger between the Mental Illness Foundation and
the Fondation Québec Jeunes, the Fondation Jeunes en Tête's mission
is to prevent psychological distress in youth aged 11 to 18 in
Québec. The Fondation accomplishes its mission by reaching out
to teenagers in schools through its Partners for Life
program, and by supporting recognized community organizations that
complement its work. The Fondation also creates synergy among all
youth advocates and stakeholders in order to maximize their joint
impact on young people. To find out more about the Fondation and
the Portrait of Youth Wellbeing, visit
fondationjeunesentete.org/fr and
https://fondationjeunesentete.org/data/1-ensemble-du-quebec-definitif.pdf
Sun Life in the community
Sun Life is committed to building sustainable, healthier
communities for life. Community wellness is an important part of
its sustainability commitment. By actively supporting the
communities in which Sun Life lives and works, the organisation can
help build a positive environment for their Clients, Employees,
advisors and shareholders. Its philanthropic support focuses on two
key areas: health, with an emphasis on diabetes awareness,
prevention and care initiatives through its Team Up Against
DiabetesTM platform; and arts and culture, through
its award-winning Making the Arts More AccessibleTM
program. Read more about Sun Life in the community.
Source:
Daphné Bédard
Communications Department
Québec City
418-641-6210
daphne.bedard@ville.quebec.qc.ca
Jacynthe Alain
Sun
Life
514-866-6474
jacynthe.alain@sunlife.com
Isabelle
Hudon
Fondation Jeunes en Tête
514-529-1000, ext.
255
ihudon@fondationjeunesentete.org
SOURCE Sun Life Financial Canada