Starting July 1st, the Brandon Regional Health Centre Foundation (BRHCF) has joined the Maple (Re)Leaf Campaign to raise awareness and support for local mental health services and programs.

Through the power of art, volunteers have started to plant thousands of unique Maple Leaf sculptures in venues across Canada.    For a $30 donation, participants can have a Maple (Re)Leaf planted on their behalf while helping to raise funds for mental health in their community. 

This national initiative is in response to rising numbers of mental health issues throughout the country due to COVID-19 and it’s variants. In a variety of different ways, we have all been affected by the ongoing challenges presented by the pandemic.  These challenges are also affecting our community mental health services as the need for these services is increasing significantly.

“Statistics show that approximately 20% of Canadian youth have a mental disorder and one in every five Canadians have a mental illness,” states the BRHCF recent media release.

“We all know that Covid has hit everybody hard in all aspects, but particularly hard for mental health,” shares Kim Wallis, Executive Director of the BRHC Foundation.   “We’ve seen an increase in depression and anxiety in many.  So, this campaign is to raise funds to support local health initiatives, locally.  So, any support that we receive through this national campaign will remain in the Brandon area to support local programming here.”

Once the campaign is complete in mid-October, a variety of programs that will be receiving the funding through a granting process by the BRHCF from this initiative throughout the Prairie Mountain Health Region.

Kim Wallis explains additional ways to get involved:

The Maple (Re)Leaf Campaign is just to make sure that it is okay to ask for help,” shares Wallis, “and to take note, both personally and to take a look at your family, who needs support and who doesn’t and then reach out to any of the local organizations that can give you a hand.”

The national campaign, Maple (Re)Leaf Campaign, will continue touring throughout the country with their Maple ReLeaf art display,  ending in Ottawa on World Mental Health Day October 10, 2021.

 

To find out more and to make a donation visit www.maplereleaf.ca  and click ‘Participating Foundations’ at the top and choose BRHC Foundation from the list of participating organizations:

https://maplereleaf.ca/participating-foundations/ 

Also, you can go to the Brandon Regional Health Centre Foundation website at www.brhcfoundation.ca   and click on the Maple (Re)Leaf logo.