The Mental Illness Foundation launches “It’s urgent to act” fundraising campaign
On October 22nd, the Mental Illness Foundation officially launched the “It’s urgent to act” fundraising campaign, with a view of raising $10 million.
At the launch, Campaign Chair Luc Bachand, Vice-Chair, Investment Banking Group, BMO Capital Markets, noted that “mental illness affects every level of society. Anyone and everyone can have a loved one who suffers from a mental illness. The increasing demands that society places on young people, workers and seniors have only intensified this type of illness in our time.”
Mr. Bachand unveiled the five major projects for which the funds raised during the campaign will be used:
- Expanding the Partners for Life program in order to visit a larger number of schools each year and create an information, orientation and health care access unit for young people and their families.
- Adding new tools to the Nothing’s Working? program and developing services adapted to companies’ specific needs.
- Setting up a depression awareness and prevention program for seniors and a training program for their caregivers and service workers.
- Establishing an endowment fund to support young researchers in mental health.
- Creating a centre for improving quality of life and promoting mental health in order to provide integrated orientation and information services as well as training for caregivers and health care professionals.
Several representatives of major donors attended the launch, including Sylvie Barcelo, Deputy Minister of the Family and Seniors; Janine Bombardier, President of the J. Armand Bombardier Foundation; and François Hudon, Senior Vice-President, Quebec Division, BMO Bank of Montreal. Each of them presented a major gift to the campaign’s Honorary Co-Chairs, Jocelyne Monty, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Mental Illness Foundation, and Dr. Yves Lamontagne, the Foundation’s Founding President.
“When you realize that one person in six in Quebec suffers from a mental illness and that we have one of the highest suicide rates among young people, it’s urgent to act. And that’s what BMO is doing today by announcing a donation of $500,000 to the Mental Illness Foundation,” said François Hudon.
For his part, Guy Lafleur, one of the campaign’s honorary patrons, noted that everyone has a role to play in fighting mental illness. “I encourage all business leaders as well as the general public to support the Mental Illness Foundation’s fundraising campaign, because you never know when it might be your turn to deal with this type of illness,” said Mr. Lafleur.
The Mental Illness Foundation was founded in 1980. Its mission is to prevent mental illness in order to reduce the suffering of the persons affected by them as well as their loved ones by mobilizing individuals and society as a whole.
Credits : Patrick Bourque
Mr. Luc Bachand, President of the fundraising campaign, Mrs. Nicole Allard, Executive Director of the Mental Illness Foundation, Mrs. Jocelyne Monty, Honorary Co-Chair of the fundraising campaign and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Mental Illness Foundation