Two Canadian Mental Health Association programs in Ontario each received $15,000 donations this week from the A Dollar A Day Foundation, a Newfoundland-based mental health charity.
On Tuesday, musician, actor, producer and author Alan Doyle and businessman Brendan Paddick, two of the three co-founders of A Dollar A Day, were at CMHA Ontario’s offices in Toronto to present their previously-announced $15,000 donation to the Living Life to the Full program. On Thursday, Doyle and Paddick were in Woodstock to present another $15,000 to the Mental Health Engagement and Response Team (MHEART) mobile crisis intervention program, operated in part by CMHA Oxford County in that region.
CMHA Ontario’s Living Life to the Full program is an eight-week, group-based course founded in cognitive behavioural therapy that provides people from all walks of life with effective tools to maximize their ability to manage life’s challenges. Currently, the Ontario program has iterations to support seniors and caregivers on their journey of self-discovery, self-mastery and self-care. Each 90-minute session focuses on a different topic, such as understanding unhelpful thoughts, engaging in enjoyable activities, coping with anger and solving daunting problems.
MHEART is a partnership between the Oxford County Ontario Provincial Police, the Woodstock Police Service and CMHA Oxford County Branch. Crisis clinicians from CMHA are paired with on-duty police officers to respond to calls which are mental health and addictions related. This makes it easier for people to get the help they need and deserve, and keeps them out of the emergency room.
A Dollar A Day Foundation was established in 2018 to raise funds to close the gap between the availability of mental health and addictions programs and the growing need for them. Founded by Doyle, Paddick and Dr. Andrew Furey, A Dollar A Day Foundation is a simple, affordable and empowering way to support frontline mental health and addictions programs.
Learn more about Living Life to the Full and MHEART