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Here is your personal invitation to join
Mood Disorders Society of Canada's
Defeat Depression Campaign!
We need you to get involved. We have created a place for you in our campaign.
Visit the Defeat Depression website now
and join the campaign.
On May 27th, 2012, Canadians are taking part in the inaugural Defeat Depression Day to raise awareness of depression and to reduce the stigma associated with the illness. In communities across this country, mental health organizations, community groups, caring companies, and concerned employees and volunteers are organizing local walks, runs, rides and other activity events.
Nearly 1.5 million Canadians are touched by depression at any given time. Mental illness strikes practically every household in Canada. Through this campaign, we are launching a coordinated effort to support community non-profit mental health organizations to provide the much-needed services required by persons with mental illness, their families, and caregivers. Defeat Depression offers Canadians a great way to help their communities and each other.
Educating the public about mental illness and recovery is a priority of Mood Disorders Society of Canada (MDSC), as well as all of the community non-profit mental health organizations partnering in these events. Through this campaign, we aim to offer encouragement and hope. Many persons who experience depression hesitate to come forward. Stigma is a significant barrier preventing many individuals from reaching out for help. Many people living with a mental illness say the stigma they face is often worse than the illness itself. The campaign will demonstrate community support for speaking openly about depression and will promote the importance of coming forward to seek early treatment.
This campaign will involve a walk, run and/or ride in each community and will have a family focus. By bringing families out together to participate in the event, we will be creating an environment that will encourage family members to speak openly about depression and other mood disorders. Participation in these events will not only raise awareness amongst families, but also bring attention to mental illness and reduce the stigma often associated with the illness. This campaign will also raise funds to assist local non-profit mental health organizations deliver services and supports.
In developing the campaign, one of the key components we wanted to attain was to provide Canadians a method to help raise revenue to support the work of local non-profit mental health organizations in tackling depression and stigma, and providing support for persons affected by mental illness and their families. As such, we wanted to build in a fair, community-focused revenue sharing plan.
The 'share model' calls for:
- A minimum of 65% of funds raised to go directly to the local non-profit mental health organization(s) taking part in this event.
- An allowance of 10% would be retained by the local non-profit mental health organization to cover the local event costs. If these event costs are covered through community sponsorships, this additional 10%, or unspent portion thereof, would also go towards the local share, bringing it up to 75%.
- The 25% of revenues going to the Defeat Depression national campaign would be assigned to develop resources and supports, (the first year we are targeting developing student and youth resources). Funds would also go towards developing resources, managing and expanding the annual campaign, producing campaign materials, registration management, marketing, financial oversight and report development, website and technical management and overall administrative, shipping/ postage, and support for local sites needed to run the national campaign. Funds would also be used to develop further resources and materials for the campaign. All materials developed will be available to all Canadians, and for use by all mental health organizations.
We look forward to seeing you on May 27, 2012.
Please pre-register as a participant or join the campaign as a sponsor, event host or volunteer.
Click on the links provided, or visit www.defeatdepression.ca for more details.
TOGETHER, Let's Defeat Depression!
Sincerely,
Defeat Depression Campaign,
Mood Disorders Society of Canada
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