(Toronto, Jan. 22, 2021) – Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Ontario Division is pleased to announce the Dollar A Day Foundation has made an $80,000 donation that will go toward CMHA Ontario programs Talk Today and Living Life to the Full.
“Dollar A Day is doing incredible work to advance mental health initiatives all across Canada, and we’re so thankful to them for this generous donation to two important Ontario-based programs,” said CMHA Ontario CEO Camille Quenneville. “Simply put, this contribution will make mental health education and support available to more Ontarians. It humbling that the folks at Dollar A Day see such value in the work we do.”
“On behalf of Canadians who contribute a dollar a day to our foundation in support of mental health and addictions services, it’s our pleasure to contribute $80,000 to CMHA Ontario for Talk Today and Living Life to the Full,” said Dollar A Day Foundation co-founder Alan Doyle. “We’re honoured to be able to back these two programs that create important suicide awareness and resiliency-building opportunities, respectively.”
“Through the Dollar A Day Foundation, our goal is to support mental health and addictions programs across Canada,” said Dollar a Day Foundation co-founder Brendan Paddick. “We’re happy to support the first-class work of CMHA Ontario with this donation. We look forward to the continued success of the Talk Today and Living Life to the Full programs.”
Talk Today is one of the most comprehensive mental health programs for amateur sports in Canada. It promotes the mental health of young athletes, educates them about suicide prevention and spreads awareness in communities about the benefits of mental wellness. Originally launched in 2014, Talk Today has grown to include more than 50 CMHAs across Canada supporting junior hockey teams, post-secondary sports programs, minor sports organizations, and more. Since its inception, more than 5,000 participants have received mental health awareness and suicide prevention training. This program has become a valuable platform for CMHA branches, teams and individual athletes to encourage open discussion about mental health within the hockey community and the broader public.
Living Life to the Full is an eight-week, group-based course founded in cognitive behavioural therapy that provides people from all walks of life with effective tools to maximize their ability to manage life’s challenges. Currently, the Ontario program has iterations to support seniors, individuals with autism spectrum disorder, caregivers and people impacted by COVID-19 on their journey of self-discovery, self-mastery and self-care. Each 90-minute session focuses on a different topic, such as understanding unhelpful thoughts, engaging in enjoyable activities, coping with anger and solving daunting problems.
The Dollar A Day Foundation was established in 2018 to raise funds to close the gap between the availability of mental health and addictions programs and the growing need for them. Founded by musician, actor, producer and author Alan Doyle and businessman Brendan Paddick, the Dollar A Day Foundation is a simple, affordable and empowering way to support front-line mental health and addictions programs.
About Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario
Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Ontario is a not-for-profit, charitable organization. We work to improve the lives of all Ontarians through leadership, collaboration and continual pursuit of excellence in community-based mental health and addictions services. Our vision is a society that embraces and invests in the mental health of all people. We are a trusted advisor to government, contributing to health systems development through policy formulation and recommendations that promote positive mental health. Our 28 local CMHA branches, together with community-based mental health and addictions service providers across the province, serve approximately 500,000 Ontarians each year.
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For more information, contact:
Justin Dickie
Communications Officer
Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario
T: 416-977-5580, ext. 4175
E: jdickie@ontario.cmha.ca