Photo submitted.

Hub Staff

The 16th annual Reindeer Romp, in support of local Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) initiatives, started off as a virtual event December 24, hosted at Fitness Corner Inc.'s Facebook page.

Following a greeting and warmup with co-hosts Holly Vanderzwet and Geordie Farrell at 9am, participants, dressed in their reindeer or Christmas themed garb, headed out to take part in an activity of their choosing.

See: The 2020 Reindeer Romp is going virtual

In a greeting to participants, Farrell talked about the importance of mental health awareness, especially in the face of COVID-19. In preparation for the morning address, Farrell had googled "Covid and mental health" and found over 300 million search results.

"I was totally gobsmacked," said Farrell. "Never before has the need to support mental health been so great."

Farrell added that the pandemic, "as horrible as it is", has shown how strong the Grey Bruce community is. "People have come together like never before to help and support one another," Farrell said.

At the time of publishing, through online donations, participants had raised a total of $1,300 in support of the Bruce Shoreline office of CMHA Grey Bruce.

Donations are still being accepted. Visit www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/38963, under "FUND", select "Bruce Shoreline, Southampton Ontario (Reindeer Romp 2020)," fill in the remaining information and click "Donate Now." Tax receipts for donations of $20 or more will be automatically generated and delivered to your email address.

Photos submitted.