MONTRÉAL, Dec. 27, 2019 /CNW
Telbec/ - Bell congratulates Mary
Deacon, Chair of Bell Let's Talk, on being named to the
Order of Canada, the country's highest honour for those who have
made extraordinary contributions to Canada.
Announced today by Governor General Julie Payette, the appointment recognizes Ms.
Deacon's decades-long commitment to improving the lives of
Canadians living with mental illness, including her leadership of
the ground-breaking Bell Let's Talk initiative from its inception
in 2010.
"Congratulations Mary on this recognition of your dedication to
changing the way we all think about mental illness, and for driving
the awareness and action that have made such a positive difference
for so many," said George Cope,
President and CEO of Bell Canada and
BCE. "Your guidance of Bell Let's Talk from its very beginning has
been a critical factor in building the initiative from an idea into
a national mental health movement."
"Our team is proud that Mary has received such a prestigious
honour for her leadership in Canadian mental health. I'm looking
forward to working with her as we continue to grow the reach of
Bell Let's Talk and drive further positive change," said Bell's
Chief Operating Officer Mirko Bibic,
who will become President and CEO of the company following Mr.
Cope's retirement in January
2020.
Launched in September 2010 as a
5-year, $50 million program to fund
anti-stigma initiatives, care and access, workplace programs and
new research, Bell Let's Talk has now surpassed $100 million in total Bell funding for Canadian
mental health. To date, Bell Let's Talk has helped provide millions
of Canadians with access to mental health services through
partnerships with more than 1,000 organizations in every province
and territory, including universities, hospitals, workplace
organizations, local governments and community groups.
A social media phenomenon, #BellLetsTalk is now Canada's most
used Twitter hashtag ever and is consistently the top Twitter trend
in Canada and around the world on
Bell Let's Talk Day. Bell Let's Talk has welcomed more than 1
billion total messages of support for progress in mental health
from Canadians and people around the world since the first Bell
Let's Talk Day in 2011, driving Bell's funding of the initiative to
$100,695,763.75 so far.
Bell Let's Talk Day 2020 is on January
29. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
About Mary Deacon
A
graduate of the University of Guelph,
Ms. Deacon served as founding President of the Centre for Addiction
and Mental Health Foundation before joining Bell Let's Talk as
Chair in 2010. She has received honourary doctorates from both her
alma mater and Wilfrid Laurier
University, and the Queen Elizabeth ll Diamond Jubilee Medal for her work in mental
health. A member of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda
Council on Mental Health, Ms. Deacon has twice been named one of
Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women.
About Bell Let's Talk
The Bell Let's Talk initiative
promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and
anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let's Talk Day and significant Bell
funding of community care and access, research and workplace
leadership initiatives throughout the country. To learn more,
please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
Bell is Canada's largest communications company, providing
advanced broadband wireless, TV, Internet and business
communication services throughout the country. Bell Media is
Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in
television, radio, out of home and digital media. Founded in
Montréal in 1880, Bell is wholly owned by BCE Inc. To learn more,
please visit Bell.ca or BCE.ca.
Media inquiries:
Caroline Audet
514-391-9794
caroline.audet@bell.ca
@Bell_LetsTalk
@Bell_News
SOURCE Bell Canada