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Guelph Storm and CMHA Waterloo Wellington Raise Awareness about Mental Health
May 24, 2017
Guelph Storm and CMHA Waterloo Wellington raise awareness about mental health during recent home game
On Friday February 12th the Guelph Storm and Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Waterloo Wellington Branch teamed up to raise awareness about the importance of mental health during a Guelph Storm home game.
During the game there was:
- A CMHA-run kiosk so fans could learn more about mental health
- Public address announcements about mental health
- A puck drop with CMHA WW’s Acting Executive Director Helen Fishburn to raise awareness
The awareness campaign is part of the ongoing commitment by the Guelph Storm and CMHA Waterloo Wellington to implement Talk Today. Announced in October 2014, Talk Today is a partnership between the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and CHMA Ontario. It provides mental health support to players and raises awareness about mental health and suicide throughout OHL communities.
A key piece of the Talk Today program has been to educate players about mental health and suicide. Every OHL team received mental health training specific to suicide awareness last season and new players were trained this fall. Each team is also now linked to a CMHA Mental Health Coach, who provides support and mental health resources to individuals in need.
Were extremely grateful to partner with the Guelph Storm to host a Talk Today event to increase public awareness and to promote mental health in this community. Suicide is 2nd leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 10-24. This Talk Today event aims to combat stigma by starting a conversation around mental health and encouraging young people to seek help when they need it.said Helen Fishburn, Acting Executive Director of CMHA Waterloo Wellington.
The Talk Today program organized by the Canadian Mental Health Association for our Storm players, staff and billet families, is one of the most important initiatives that I have ever personally been involved with. Mental health and suicide awareness are topics that we all need to talk about openly and candidly. The training that we all receive through the Talk Today program is invaluable. said Mike Kelly, General Manager of the Guelph Storm.