Bell Build on Mental Health Commitment with Walk so Kids Can Talk

Bell Aliant, Bell Canada and Bell Media have been involved in many CSR business programs like the recent Let’s Talk campaign in support of mental health. The Let’s Talk Day campaign aimed to fight the stigma associated with the disease by getting people openly talking about mental health issues so they seek the help and support they need. The successful campaign resulted in 78,520,284 calls, texts and retweets by Canadians in every region on Let’s Talk day, February 8th, 2012. At 5¢ each, the campaign resulted in Bell donating an additional $3,926,014.20 to mental health programs. They are now following that up with partnership in the Walk so Kids Can Talk Campaign in support of the Kids Help Phone.

Image courtesy of walksokidscantalk.ca

Bell’s involvement with Kids Help Phone is part of their commitment to bring mental health issues to the forefront and out of the shadows. The mission of Kids Help Phone “is to improve the well-being of children and youth in Canada by providing them anonymous and confidential professional counseling, referrals and information in English and French, through technologically-based communications media.” Some twenty-nine percent of calls are mental health related making the services of the Kids Help Phone even more imperative to help children and teens in need of assistance. The organization also helps kids deal with issues such as “bullying, abuse, suicide or neglect” by being a safe place for children to reach out to someone who’ll be able and willing to help them.

The organization does not receive any government funding and relies solely on corporate sponsorship and community involvement to remain operational. Kids Help Phone is looking to raise $2.5 through the walk with 100% of the funds raised by participants going directly to delivering professional youth counselling services 24 x 7 x 365 to approximately 6.5 kids in need per year.

Walk so Kids Can Talk is a non-competitive five kilometre walk that takes place on Sunday, May 6th 2012 in more than forty locations across Canada. Participants can register as a team or as a single participant and collect pledges for the cause. As of April 9th, Bell Aliant had 104 registered walkers who have collected a total of $11,157. Bell Media had 82 walkers who have raised $2,475. Those who can’t walk can volunteer on the day of the event at a location in their area or they can participate via their virtual walk.

Below is some information taken from the Walk so Kids Can Talk website that reinforces the importance of spreading awareness and support of this deserving cause:

• One study found that 24% of youth experience at least one episode of clinical depression by age 18.
• 1 in 5 middle school students report avoiding restrooms at school due to fear of being bullied.
• 87% of students in grades 8 to 10 reported witnessing school bullying in the past year.
• 60% of children and adolescents who have social support experience well-being. Support makes it easier to cope with life’s stressors and can come from a variety of sources, including family, friends and neighbours. It can also come from organizations like Kids Help Phone. Support is linked to lower rates of depression, greater self-esteem, and more positive attitudes towards school.

Mental illness strikes children and teens and they too need a safe place to turn for a sympathetic ear, support and guidance and its admirable that Bell is partnering in this walk and including youth in its commitment to mental health.

Walk so Kids Can Talk 2012

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg-E6pIWzhc[/youtube]

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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional professional fundraising including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.