On Oct. 25, 2024, members of the Mental Health and Well-Being team at Dr. Frank J. Hayden SS presented a cheque to the Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation representing a donation of more than $1,200. The team raised the money during the previous school year by holding various fundraisers including a mental health walk.
The fundraising idea came after attending the Halton Women's Day Breakfast last year. Students learned that Joseph Brant Hospital’s Youth Mental Health Programs were in need of support. When this information was brought to the school’s Mental Health and Well-Being team, they were inspired to take action.
Team member Gabriela Hurd said that the cause “immediately clicked with the team, because it's a local hospital.” The knowledge that the money they raise will help youth in their own community “really hit hard with the students.”
The team, along with parents, staff and a public health nurse, began brainstorming ways to raise money in November 2023. Presumably, this was not an easy task. However, their dedication to making a difference gave the team motivation to weave through any obstacle they had to face.
After months of brainstorming, they decided to make and sell bracelets as their first form of fundraising. The success of this initiative gave the team a confidence boost, which inspired them to create a larger fundraising event inspired by the Terry Fox run.
Feeling confident from the success of their first event, the team raised their markers and scribbled down ideas until deciding on creating a mental health walk event that included face painting, motivational speaking, field games and a school-wide competition to win free Dairy Queen. That goal was to raise funds and awareness for youth mental health.
When the calendar marked the day of the event, everything took off in an energetic yet orderly fashion. Grade 11 student and Mental Health and Well-Being team member Paije Blue describes the day of the event as follows: “Once the music started and the people came out… people were smiling, there was laughter, people seemed lighter going back into the school. It was talked about for a long time.”
Vice-Principal Rajani RaoPeters acknowledged the students’ and staff members’ hard work to finalize ideas “so their community could benefit from it”. For that she says, “We were so proud of them!”
Hayden’s Mental Health and Well-Being team engaged students in an inspiring way to raise awareness about mental health issues, knowing that mental health can be a taboo subject.
Team member Amelia Waslynchuck believes that school-wide events promoting mental health awareness are incredibly important because they help to fight the stigma around mental health issues. She has already noticed an impact on her school’s culture as a result of these initiatives, stating that “people aren't as scared to talk about it, and that is important in this day and age.”
Currently , the Mental Health and Well-Being team is in the process of preparing for this year's approach to their mental health walk fundraiser. With new ideas always being generated and a commitment and dedication toward making a positive difference in their community, this group of young leaders are destined to achieve anything.