This year, Bruce Power donated $40,000 to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Grey Bruce for various programs in 2018. Pictured from left, Claude Anderson, CMHA Executive Director; Teresa Pearson, Program Manager, Social Recreation and Leisure, Garden Program; Joachim Ostertag, Men’s Program; April Johnson, Fundraising and Event Co-ordinator, and Chris Mercanti, Bruce Power.

Members of the community came through in a huge way for local mental health initiatives during the third annual Break the Silence social media campaign.

In a Bruce Power media release, by sharing #BreakTheSilence thousands of times on Twitter and Facebook, people from across Canada showed their support for those living with mental health issues by starting the conversation with their friends and family.

In turn, Bruce Power donated $76,000 to local mental health initiatives that will support community members who live with mental illnesses. The recipients include:

$40,000 to the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Grey Bruce branch for its Friends and Neighbours Club, Men’s Group, Ride Don’t Hide event and other community programs.

$25,000 to the Westover Treatment Centre’s Recovery Support Program, which helps people overcome addiction and other issues.

$11,000 to the We CARE Share event

“Once again, it is our hope that people will break the silence about mental illness every day,” said Cathy Sprague, Bruce Power’s Executive Vice President, Human Resources. “Our social media campaign is just one day, but we really hope people begin to open up about mental illness each and every day.”

The social media awareness campaign saw an estimated 3,621 tweets sent with the #BreakTheSilence hashtag, 7,679 likes and shares on the Break the Silence video on Bruce Power’s Facebook page and 1,379 views and likes on the Break the Silence video on Bruce Power’s Instagram account.