TORONTO, Jan. 15, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - To celebrate the
25th anniversary of Kids Help Phone, Bell and Kids Help
Phone today announced the largest-ever corporate donation in the
organization's history. Totalling $2.5
million, Bell's gift to Kids Help Phone will enable
innovative new technology initiatives to support the mental health
and well-being of young people across Canada.
"Bell is proud to have been there from the start for Kids Help
Phone and to have helped the organization deliver innovative
services for young people in Canada over the last quarter century," said
George Cope, President and CEO of
Bell Canada and BCE. "To mark this
important milestone, Bell Let's Talk is investing $2.5 million more in Kids Help Phone to enable
national technology-driven communications initiatives that ensure
young people can access mental health and counseling support
whenever and wherever they need it."
"To think of the millions of young people across Canada who have
benefitted from the programs that Kids Help Phone has implemented
with Bell's support is astounding," said Sharon Wood, President and CEO, Kids Help Phone.
"Kicking off a new year with such a tremendous gift is exciting,
uplifting, and, most of all, inspiring, because I know it means
that kids are going to get support when they need it most. Thanks
to Bell's generosity, Kids Help Phone will be able to continue to
be there for every young person in Canada, whether they come to us for help over
the phone, online, or through new innovations like Resources Around
Me, an amazing interactive tool we are launching today with Bell's
support."
"Mental health is a very important issue both for our government
and for me personally," said The Honourable Dr. K. Kellie Leitch, Minister of Labour and
Minister of Status of Women. "As a practicing physician, I
regularly work with and see children who have experienced difficult
situations. It is reassuring to know that they have a place to turn
- Kids Help Phone and Bell provide an invaluable service for
millions of young people in Canada."
Bell's leadership gift will support the development and
enhancement of innovative technologies to enhance youth mental
health services, including:
- Online counselling through Live Chat - Bell is the
leading donor supporting Kids Help Phone's new, innovative and
highly in-demand counselling platform. Live Chat counselling lets
young people connect one-on-one in real time with a professional
Kids Help Phone counsellor from a computer or mobile device. In
2014, Kids Help Phone's counsellors will be spending a total of
10,000 hours dedicated to Live Chat counselling. This service is of
particular value to young people facing serious mental health
issues, as evidenced by the high rates of Live Chat usage by young
people struggling with thoughts of suicide or self-harm.
- Phone and web post counselling services - Bell is also
helping to support Kids Help Phone's professional counselling
services to young people via phone and web post. In 2014, Bell's
support will enable counsellors to spend 520 hours helping young
people work through the challenges they face by phone and online
via web post.
- Continued service innovation through technology - As new
technologies arise and become relevant to the lives of young
people, Bell's funding will allow Kids Help Phone to meet their
emerging needs. In 2014, this includes additional funding as a lead
donor for Resources Around Me. Resources Around Me is a
youth-friendly tool now available on Kids Help Phone's Always There
mobile app and website, which provides young people with the
ability to instantly find local services and support programs in
their community, such as food banks, shelters, health clinics, or
counselling centres. To view the web version of the tool, please
visit kidshelpphone.ca/resourcesaroundme.
Since 1989, Kids Help Phone has been providing professional
counselling services, mental health information and resources for
kids, teens, and young adults across Canada. As a founding
partner of Kids Help Phone, Bell has a proud legacy of support over
the years for many innovative programs that have increased young
people's access to Kids Help Phone's vital mental health support.
Over the past 25 years, Bell's contributions have included support
for the launch of Kids Help Phone's telephone counselling service
in 1989 and the development of its first website in 1996, corporate
and employee support for Kids Help Phone's signature national
fundraising event - the Walk so Kids Can Talk - since 2002, and
significant contributions towards the Always There mobile app and
the pilot of Live Chat counselling in 2012.
About Kids Help Phone
Kids Help Phone is a Canadian and world leader, known for its
expertise in providing vital, innovative, and professional
counselling services to children and youth. Since 1989 Kids Help
Phone has offered children, teens and young adults in Canada a critical lifeline of hope and
support, through its free, anonymous and confidential service. Kids
Help Phone's professional counsellors support the mental health and
well-being of young people ages five to 20, in urban, rural, and
remote communities, by providing one-on-one counselling,
information and resources online and by phone. The organization's
internationally recognized, award-winning websites are considered a
model of child-focused interactive design, and offer online
counselling forums and engaging, therapeutic games, tools and
information to encourage resilience and self-care. A
community-based national charity, Kids Help Phone receives no
guaranteed ongoing financial support from government or any large
funder and relies on community and corporate support to keep our
essential service available. We're there for the *6.5 million young
people in Canada, 24 hours a day,
365 days a year, in English and in French.
*Source: represents the age group Kids Help Phone serves (from
five to 20) according to Statistics Canada, 2012.
For further information:
kidshelpphone.ca
kidshelpphone.ca/facebook
kidshelpphone.ca/twitter
kidshelpphone.ca/youtube
kidshelpphone.ca/pinterest
kidshelpphone.ca/resourcesaroundme
For information on service evaluations that have shown Kids Help
Phone leads to significant improvements in youth mental health,
please visit kidshelpphone.ca/proofpositive.
Bell Let's Talk Day is January
28
The Bell Let's Talk mental health initiative is a national
charitable program that promotes mental health across Canada with
significant funding for community care, research and workplace best
practices, and fights the stigma around mental illness with
high-profile events like Bell Let's Talk Day. Set for January 28, 2014, the fourth annual Bell Let's
Talk Day invites Canadians to join the conversation and help end
the stigma around mental illness.
On Bell Let's Talk Day, Bell donates 5
cents for every text, mobile call and long distance call
made by Bell and Bell Aliant customers, every tweet using
#BellLetsTalk, and every Facebook share of the Bell Let's Talk Day
image. Bell's donations are made at no extra charge to Bell Let's
Talk Day participants, though normal long distance or text charges,
if any, apply. To date, Bell has already committed to invest
$62,043,289.30 in Canadian mental
health, based on its original $50
million commitment and participation in Bell Let's Talk Day
since 2011.
To learn more please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
About Bell
Bell is Canada's largest communications company, providing
consumers and business customers with leading TV, Internet,
wireless, home phone and business communications solutions. Bell
Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in
television, radio and digital media. Bell is wholly owned by
Montréal's BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE). For more information, please
visit Bell.ca or BCE.ca.
SOURCE Bell Canada