CMHA WW receives $50,000 donation from Toyota

The Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington (CMHA WW) is pleased to announce a charitable donation of $50,000 from Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC). With the significant impact COVID-19 has had on the mental health of people in our community, Toyota’s donation will help address the increasing need for supports, for both frontline workers and the general public.

While CMHA WW was able to shift many programs and services to online due to COVID-19, virtual services don’t work for everyone. CMHA WW has seen a 30% increase in HERE 24/7 call volumes, and TMMC’s donation will go towards helping with this community need.

“We are extremely grateful to Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada for being a mental health champion with this generous donation,” says Helen Fishburn, Executive Director with CMHA WW. “CMHA WW staff are working tirelessly to offer safe and reliable support to the community, and TMMC’s donation will help us continue to meet the growing demand for mental health and addictions services.”

The donation will be also be directed to Here 4 Help, a CMHA WW web resource created in response to the COVID-19 crisis. With categories for parents, seniors, caregivers, employers/employees, healthcare workers, and more, Here 4 Help offers curated information to help manage day to day during the pandemic. In addition, the Healthcare worker portal offers hotlines, crisis support, counselling, as well as self-care information to help with the inevitable negative mental health effects of being on the frontlines of this pandemic.

“TMMC Team Members are motivated to help respond to emerging needs as a result of the pandemic,” said Derek Kidnie, Vice President, Administration, TMMC. “When we heard about this program, providing the mental health resources that are in such high demand and specialized support for healthcare workers, we knew that we needed to help our local Canadian Mental Health Association.”

CMHA WW Nursing Staff Lorraine Silvani, Jasmine Lehman, and Anita Brunsting say thank you to Toyota