Our Mission
Our mission for the Foundation is to promote the awareness of children's mental and emotional health through early intervention and childhood education.
Below are serveral of our accomplishments to date:
- Speaking publicly to students, teachers, parents and mental health professionals.
- Subsidizing the cost for adolescents with emotional and behavioural problems to attend a therapeutic summer camp.
- Sponsoring an annual community butterfly release to raise awareness for suicide prevention.
- Helping children prepare emotionally for a healthier future through our projects at SickKids and The McMaster Children's Hospital.
- Our endeavours have been featured in the Toronto Star, September 14, 2013, "Mental Health". Additonal articles have also appeard in the K-W Record and the Grand Magazine. The Foundation has also had coverage on CTV, CBC and Rogers TV.
- No Expenses Or Director's Fees Are Deducted From The Foundation.
Our Personal Story
On October 14th, 2004, our lives changed forever. Our beloved daughter Lisa, died by suicide. Lisa was kind and compassionate, always putting other's needs before her own. Sadly, Lisa kept her own need for help a closely guarded secret. It was only after her death that we discovered she had suffered from severe depression. Lisa hid her illness from everyone, ashamed of being depressed and fearful of being stigmatized. She suffered alone, in shame and in silence.
We gave Lisa life and could never have imagined we would have to live life without her. We could never have imagined that anyone suffering with mental illness could be afraid to ask for help. We have vowed to be the voice Lisa didn't have. We will never be silenced by the stigma that silenced our daughter. We want children to feel safe, to ensure they will not be afraid or ashamed to seek the help of others as they progress into their school aged years.
Ours is a family run Charitable Foundation with a vision for a better future. A future where no one will suffer in isolation as Lisa did. And a future where all mental and emotional health challenges will be comfortably talked about. Let us not pass the responsibility of eradicating the stigma to another generation. We know we can move forward together when compassion and understanding prevails. And we know through investing in childhood education, beliefts can be challenged, and dreams can be fulfilled. Our children are worth this investment!