Bruce Power donates $84,000 to local mental health initiatives, following Break the Silence campaign

Members of the community came through in a huge way for local mental health initiatives during Bruce Power's second annual #BreakTheSilence social media campaign.

Launched Wednesday, the event saw thousands of shares on Twitter and Facebook, with people across Canada showing their support for those who live with mental health issues, by starting the conversation with their friends and family.

The campaign received a major boost Wednesday morning, with a presentation by Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod of "Body Break" fame. The pair stressed the importance of physical health in conjunction with mental health.

"We've been doing those commercials for 25 years," said McLeod, "but the message never changes - keep fit and have fun!"

Johnson said the issue of mental health hit home when a neighbour's 23-year-old son committed suicide at university.

"None of us knew that Danny was struggling," he said. "We didn't see the signs; we couldn't recognize them. What we're doing here, with this Break the Silence campaign is fantastic, and we're pleased to be part of it."



Joanne McLeod (left) and Hal Johnson discuss the importance of physical fitness and mental health at a presentation, Wednesday morning, at Bruce Power

Mike Rencheck, president and chief executive officer of Bruce Power, said he knew a fellow who was very successful and at the top of his game.

"We all thought he had a solid family life and everything was good, but we were wrong," said Rencheck. "Everything came crashing down and he began acting differently. He was given a medical assessment and we learned that he had been suffering for years with chronic depression, but it was disguised behind the smile on his face."

Rencheck said the man was able to return to work with support to help manage these episodes in his life.

"In our discussions about mental health, there is nothing to be awkward about," he said. "It's part of life. We need to be strong together as a community."



Taking part in the launch of the Break the Silence campaign Wednesday morning at Bruce Power, are president and chief executive officer Mike Rencheck (leflt), Body Break's Joanne McLeod and Hal Johnson (right), and Cathy Sprague, executive vice-president, human resources

May 1-5 was Mental Health Awareness Week in Canada. Besides sessions with Johnson and McLeod, Wednesday, Bruce Power also hosted a health and wellness fair, with about 30 vendors from the community on-site.

The Break the Silence campaign saw numerous supporters, including:
 

• City TV’s Kevin Frankish
• Ontario energy minister Glenn Thibeault
• Ontario minister of government and consumer services Tracy MacCharles
• Ontario minister of citizenship and immigration Laura Albanese
• Ontario minister of community and social services Helena Jaczek
• Ontario minister of citizenship Kevin Daniel Flynn
• Ontario minister of commercial safety and correctional services Marie-France Lalonde
• Newmarket-Aurora MPP Chris Ballard, MPP
• Ontario minister of infrastructure Bob Chiarelli
• Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson
• Carleton-Mississippi Mills MPP Jack Maclaren
• Ottawa South MPP John Fraser
• Scarborough-Agincourt MPP Soo Wong
• Mississauga-Brampton South MPP Amrit Mangat
• Durham MPP Granville Anderson
• Ajax-Pickering MPP Joe Dickson
• Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker
• Huron-Bruce MP Ben Lobb
• Mississauga Streetsville MP Gagan Sikand
• Fundy Royal MP Alaina Lockhart
• Brampton South MP Sonia Sidhu
• Brampton north MP Ruby Sahota
• Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MP Bev Shipley
• Kitchener-Conestoga MP Harold Albrecht
• Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MP Larry Miller
• Perth-Wellington MP John Nater
• Peace River MLA Debbie Jabbour, deputy speaker and chairperson of committees

As well, Walker spoke about the campaign in the Ontario Legislature, May 4.

In turn, Bruce Power donated $84,000 to local mental health initiatives that will support community members who live with mental illnesses. The recipients include:
 

• $25,000 to the Westover Treatment Centre’s Recovery Support Program which helps people overcome addiction and other issues
• $25,000 to Wounded Warriors
• $23,000 to the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Grey Bruce branch for its Friends and Neighbours Club, Men’s Group and Ride Don’t Hide event
• $11,000 to the We CARE Share event

“Our annual Break the Silence awareness campaign may be over, but we hope the dialogue created today continues,” said Cathy Sprague, Bruce Power’s executive vice-president, human resources. “The interactions we saw on-line today show how important speaking about mental health issues is. Let’s all continue this dialogue amongst family members, friends and colleagues and break the silence around mental illness.”

In one day, the social media awareness campaign saw an estimated 10,000 tweets sent with the #BreakTheSilence hashtag, and nearly 10,000 shares on the Break the Silence post on Bruce Power’s Facebook page.



Bruce Power donates $23,000 to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)'s Grey Bruce branch for its Friends and Neighbours Club, Men's Group and Ride Don't Hide event, as part of its #BreakTheSilence campaign; from left, are April Robinson, fund-raising and event co-ordinator; Joachim Ostertag, program manager of the Men's Program; Jackie Ralph, youth awareness - FAN Club and Let's Talk program co-ordinator; Claude Anderson, executive director of the CMHA; and Christine John, communications specialist, Bruce Power; photo courtesy of Bruce Power