Bell Celebrity Gala raises $1.16 Million for CAMH
More than 2,000 guests, leading corporate sponsors and over 100
celebrities support enhanced community care and access at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
TORONTO,
Bell today announced that last night's 2010 Bell Celebrity Gala raised $1.16 Million for the Centre for
Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), a world leader in mental health care, research and education. With
$580,000 in event proceeds plus a matching donation from Bell of $580,000, this gift supporting enhanced
community care and access at CAMH is the latest effort in the national Bell Mental Health Initiative.
"Bell is very proud to join all of our Gala guests, sponsors and
celebrities in delivering such extraordinary support for CAMH and its
crucial work in accelerating access to care for those suffering from
mental illness," said Mary Deacon, Chair of the Bell Mental Health
Initiative. "With our five-year Bell Gala commitment to CAMH, we look
forward to supporting the hospital as it further enhances community
care and access - a fundamental pillar of Bell's national mental health
program."
"The CAMH team is very grateful to Bell for its leadership in supporting
Canadian mental health and to everyone involved with the Bell Gala
for their commitment to advancing care for people with mental illness and
addictions," said CAMH President and CEO Dr. Catherine Zahn. "This
generosity will enhance our work to transform lives through the latest
in scientific advances, integrated and compassionate clinical practice,
health promotion, education and research discoveries."
Every year, CAMH treats tens of thousands of people through an extensive range of inpatient, outpatient
and community-based initiatives uniquely tailored to meet the needs of clients in various stages of their
lives and illnesses. The CAMH team of doctors, researchers, nurses, therapists, educators, staff, volunteers
and students demonstrate a compassion and commitment to care that has earned them recognition and
respect for their work in addiction and mental health issues across Canada and around the globe.
The Bell Celebrity Gala's five-year commitment to CAMH is another cornerstone of the Bell Mental Health
Initiative. This multi-year national charitable program is built around 4 pillars: 1) Anti-stigma: raising
awareness and reducing stigma around mental illness 2) Care and access: support for a range of new
community care and access opportunities 3) Research: funding for new research and treatment options 4)
Workplace: developing mental health best practices alongside other leading corporations.
The 2010 Bell Gala was supported by more than 2,000 guests; presenting sponsor Samsung; corporate
sponsors BMO, Blakes, CGI, Fujitsu, Huawei, IBM, LG, VMC, Research in Motion and Resource Integrated;
media sponsors the Globe and Mail and CTV; and more than 100 Canadian and international celebrities
from the worlds of sports, entertainment and media - including Olympic multi-medalist Clara Hughes,
national spokesperson for the Bell Let's Talk anti-stigma campaign.
"Knowing the devastating impact of mental illness and the tremendous
positive impact that organizations like CAMH can have on people's
lives, it's so encouraging for me to see such intense support from
everyone at the Bell Gala for mental health and for the CAMH team,"
said Ms. Hughes.
The Bell Let's Talk national awareness campaign led by Ms. Hughes includes the annual Bell Let's Talk Day
national fundraising event, the first of which will take place on February 9, 2011. For every text message
sent and every long distance call made by Bell customers that day, Bell will donate 5 cents to programs
dedicated to mental health.
The facts of mental illness and its impact on Canadians are startling, underlining the need for accelerated
support for mental health at all levels:
- At least one in five Canadians experiences a form of mental illness at
some point in their lives - every one of us has a family member, friend
or colleague who will experience mental illness
- Mental health funding is modest relative to other health care issues -
mental illness represents 15% of Canada's health care burden but
receives only 5% of health care funding
- Just one-third of Canadians who need mental health services actually
receive them
- Mental illness is the number one cause of workplace disability in
Canada - accounting for 30% of disability claims and 70% of disability costs
- Mental illness costs the Canadian economy $51 billion each year in lost
productivity - every day, 500,000 Canadians are absent from work due to
a form of mental illness.
CAMH is the latest leading health care organization to benefit from the Bell Mental Health Initiative. Last
month, Bell announced a $1 Million donation to the Royal Ottawa Hospital to expand the Royal
Ottawa Telepsychiatry Program. As part of its community care and access pillar, Bell will announce support
for a range of other health care organizations at the community and national levels going forward.
About Bell
Headquartered in Montréal, Bell is Canada's largest communicationscompany, providing consumers and
business with solutions to all their communications needs, including Bell Mobility wireless, high-speed Bell
Internet, Bell TV satellite television and Bell Fibe TV, Bell Home Phone local and long distance, and Bell
Business Markets IP-broadband and information and communications technology (ICT) services.
Bell is wholly owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE). For information on Bell products and services, please
visit www.bell.ca. For BCE corporate information, please visit www.bce.ca.
NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available at http://photos.newswire.ca.
Images are free to accredited members of the media/
For further information:
Julie Smithers
Bell Media Relations
(416) 528-9409
Julie.smithers@bell.ca
SOURCE Community & Sponsorship