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Canadian Mental Health Association Final 50/50 Draw
The Canadian Mental Health Association, Windsor-Essex County Branch (CMHA-WECB) launched their final online 50/50 lottery of 2021 on October 4th, which runs until midnight November 4th. Participants can purchase tickets online with the chance of winning a final Early Bird prize, as well as the Grand Prize jackpot of more than $3,000. The final Early Bird draw deadline is midnight Wednesday, October 27th.
“Online lotteries have provided another way to connect with the community and generate both greater awareness of the programs and services offered by CMHA-WECB, as well as funds to support those programs that do not receive government funding”, stated Kim Willis, Director, Communications and Mental Health Promotion. “They have provided another outlet for fundraising during COVID when our traditional fundraising events have been sidelined, and are especially needed now as we head into the holiday season, a time that is difficult for many.”
CMHA-WECB fundraises throughout the year to support several programs, including:
Bereavement Program: Pre-COVID, the statistics indicated that 14 people die every day in our community. Each death profoundly affects, on average, up to five other people. That’s upwards of 25,000 people in our community struggling with the loss of a loved one each year. CMHA-WECB is unique in that we are the only CMHA in Ontario to provide bereavement services, including bereavement education sessions, individual counselling, and group peer support.
Client Assistance Fund: Short-term financial assistance is needed by some of CMHA-WECB’s most vulnerable clients. The program provides piece of mind to clients in the form of grocery gift cards and travel vouchers, such as cab fare or bus passes. We are also able to assist clients with unexpected expenses that would directly impact their monthly budget, meaning they would have to go without something else, such as groceries that month. The Client Assistance Fund allows our clients to focus on their journey to wellness, not financial worries. Since its inception in 2015 we have seen a 250% increase in the use of the program.
Mental Health Promotion: Our Mental Health Promotion portfolio includes community awareness and outreach, mental health education, training, and suicide prevention. In non-COVID times, we are able to attend health fairs in the community to provide resources and information about mental health and our programs and services. Our education and training includes webinars, lunch and learns, half day and full training courses, and certificate trainings on a variety of topics from Understanding Mental Illness to our two-day Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training. As with any illness, early identification is key to better outcomes. Mental Health Promotion provides the knowledge and tools to identify the signs and symptoms of a mental health concern, tools to cope, as well as where to seek professional support when needed.
COVID Response / First Responders: In 2020, CMHA-WECB began to focus more efforts on supporting the mental health and wellness of our first responders and frontline workers. The pandemic has magnified the need for mental health supports, with frontline workers especially impacted. We have introduced a Pandemic Response Therapist to assist those dealing with isolation, anxiety and depression related to COVID-19, as well as a Workplace Outreach Worker to meet people in their workplace. Additionally, we work closely with our first responder community partners to support a website, app and various training modules to help build a culture of acceptance and provide resources for support.
The Association has a goal of $10,000 for the final lottery of 2021.
