Photo: KG – Millbrook South Monaghan Public School Principal Sheryl Hunter receives a cheque for $1450 presented by Team55 founder Dave Pogue. St. Peter’s Secondary School also received a donation for $2200 to be directed to their mental health initiative entitled “Change Your Mind” which was established last fall by Millbrook resident and French teacher Julie Vallieres
At the suggestion of an Early Childhood Educator at the school whose partner works for the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Millbrook South Cavan Principal Sheryl Hunter contacted Kerri Davies, Manager of Development for the local CMHA branch to learn more about a grant opportunity in support of Mental Health initiatives in local schools. Hunter felt that the grant connected to many of the things staff at the school had been discussing with respect to building positive mental health attitudes in their students.
The application was successful, and last week Hunter received a donation of $1450 which will be directed to a new mental health program at the school in the fall.
The funds were raised by a non-profit information technology co-operative called ECNO, which promotes best practices and provide cost-effective IT solutions to its members which include all 72 school boards in the province of Ontario. At their annual conference, they select a charity to support, and at last year’s event they were looking for one that benefits the lives of children and selected the local Canadian Mental Health Association’s Suicide Prevention Initiative called Team 55.
After losing their son to suicide, Dave and Heather Pogue funneled their loss into a determination to foster hope that suicide can be prevented by establishing Team 55, a name incorporating their son’s football team number. After speaking at the ECNO conference, the organization received a donation of $10,546 which they directed to the Haliburton, Kawartha Pine Ridge branch of the CMHA to further the work of their organization to end the stigma of mental illness and save lives.
School boards across Ontario applied for funds from this donation to develop their own grass roots initiatives to raise awareness in their school communities about mental health and to incorporate strategies to prevent suicide.
St. Peter’s Catholic Secondary School also submitted a successful request, and was the recipient of $2,200 to continue their mental health project entitled “Change your Mind”, led by Millbrook resident Julie Vallieres, whose project was detailed in our November 19th edition. Managed by Vallieres and a dedicated group of student volunteers, their program is focused on destroying the stigma associated with mental illness in their school community through education, open communication and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle.
With students as young as 9 years of age using terms like “anxious” and “depressed” to describe their feelings, staff at Millbrook South Cavan and other elementary schools are seeking ways to help their students cope with the pressures they are facing in school and in life. The Millbrook donation will be directed to a Mental Health Awareness week scheduled for May 2017, where students will share their own views about the importance of mental health and develop their own strategies to promote a positive mental attitude. An evening event to bring families into the discussion during a community meal will include the opportunity to acquire suicide prevention training. The school will host the delivery of the safeTALK program, which is a half-day alertness training that prepares anyone over the age of 15 to become a suicide-alert helper. The program helps recognize opportunities to reach out to those struggling with thoughts of suicide and take action by connecting them with life-saving intervention resources.
St. Peter’s Catholic Secondary School students will host a Mental Health Awareness Fair including guest speakers offering techniques including meditation, yoga and music and art therapy and therapy dogs and receive training on sensitivity and mindfulness. KG
