From left, Wendy Binnie, Pharmasave Port Elgin Manager Jen Conley, Sandra Bloomfield and Terri Nilsson at the Pharmasave barbecue in support of mentallyfit.

Hub Staff

Pharmasave in Port Elgin fired up the grill on Wednesday, July 17 and hosted a fundraiser in support of mentallyfit, a mental health initiative founded by Kincardine's Kendra Fisher.

Nearly a decade ago, Fisher skated toward her dream of joining Team Canada’s women's hockey only to be sidelined by an unexpected diagnosis. Fisher suffered from severe anxiety disorder, panic attacks and depression, all of which she kept hidden behind her hockey mask.

After the heartbreaking news of a 14 year old female hockey player who had committed suicide, Fisher realized the danger in her own silence and from that point on, she has been a dedicated mental health advocate and recently founded mentallyfit which carries a mandate to “inspire, inform, empower, encourage and create communities free from stigma."

mentallyfit offers a number of programs to help educate and equip communities to support those living with a mental illness. In particular, mentallyfit strives to create safe spaces in local communities by building a network of individuals and organizations and offering ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training).

The beautiful summer weather drew in many generous visitors to the pop-up barbecue in downtown Port Elgin, helping to raise a healthy donation for this worthy cause. Event sponsors include Bruce County Physiotherapy and Sports Injuries Clinic, Sutton Huron Shores Realty Inc. Brokerage and Rowland's Your Independent Grocer.

The Pharmasave barbecue fundraiser in support of mentallyfit drew in many locals and visitors. Officer James was also on the scene in case the crowds got out of hand.