UPCOMING EVENTS & IMPORTANT DATES

 August, 2010 - December 2010

- “Families Caring, families sharing”  2010 is an ongoing support group for families dealing with mental health issues. The group is facilitated by family members who face the same challenges. The group provides families with coping strategies and provides a support network. The group is held on the 2nd Tuesday of every month from 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at the Versa Care Retirement Community, (Main Entrance) 425 Park Road North, Brantford,  Group commences, Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. The 2010 schedule is as follows:

   There will be no groups in July & August

  -Tuesday, September 14, 2010

  -Tuesday, October 12, 2010

  -Tuesday, November 9, 2010

  -Tuesday, December 14, 2010 - Christmas Potluck

For more information, please contact the Canadian Mental Health Association at 519-752-2998, ext. 112 or Pat Buckley, Support Group Coordinator at   519-754-0134. E-mail: familiessupportingfamilies@hotmail.com  Families Caring Families Sharing 2010.pdf

 Suicide Bereavement Support Group of Brant A support group for persons who have lost family or friends to suicide. The  group runs the third Wednesday of each month, from 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at the Stedman Community Hospice (behind the St. Joseph's Lifecare Centre) on Wayne Gretzky Parkway, Brantford. Next sessions to be held:

- Wednesday, August 18, 2010   no group in August

- Wednesday, September 15, 2010

- Wednesday, October 20, 2010

- Wednesday, November 17, 2010

- Wednesday, December 15, 2010

For more information, or to register into the group, call 519-752-2998, ext. 112 .

July 1 - August 9, 2010 - Wayne McGuinness' Ride for Mental Health:

June 18, 2010

I am pleased to introduce you to Mr. Wayne McGuinness a resident of Brantford, Ontario who will embark on the Western Leg of his Cross Canada bicycle Ride for Mental Health Awareness on July 1^st , 2010.

Mr. McGuinness (Wayne) is no stranger to long distance riding and knows full well the challenges ahead of him. Wayne has faced many challenges in his life, including the difficulties of living with a loved one with mental illness and the loss of his wife to ovarian cancer in 2004. Following the death of his wife, Wayne with the endorsement of the Juravanski Cancer Clinic in Hamilton completed a province wide ride of Ontario with donations to the clinic. Wayne traveled solo for a distance of 3,200 kms. and raised over $14,000. for the treatment of ovarian cancer. Subsequent to this ride, Wayne has participated twice in the in the Princess Margaret Hospital’s two day ride event in 2008 and 2009 raising a total of $5,200. for the Ride to Conquer Cancer.

Prior to the death of Wayne’s wife, he had made a commitment to cross Canada on his bicycle to raise awareness for persons who struggle with mental illness. Wayne and his late wife’s son Shawn, has a dual diagnosis of bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) co-morbid with substance abuse. Wayne plans on making good on his promise by doing his ride for mental health over two summers---the first challenge being the West and the second challenge the East.

Please accept this letter as endorsement of Wayne’s ride and support of this venture. Wayne could use supports in the way of accommodations free, or at a reduced rate. He, as well as the many consumers who struggle with mental illness and the associated stigma, would benefit by raising the profile of his ride within your local community with whatever media coverage you could arrange. He will be doing his Western Leg of the Cross Canada Cycle from July 1, 2010 until August 9, 2010.Your help and encouragement will ensure his success and have the potential of a positive spin off for those who struggle the most---those with mental illness.

Here in Brant, we will be supporting Wayne by promoting his Ride for Mental Health Awareness through the CMHA Branches in the cities he will be riding through, as well as through other venues.

Attached is a calendar of dates and locations of his ride route, as well as a pledge form for your information. Should you require further details, please feel free to contact Mr. McGuinness directly at, 519-756-2948, e-mail wackywayne50@hotmail.com or Lill Petrella, our Mental Health Promotion Coordinator at 519-752-2998, ext. 112, e-mail: lill@cmhabrant.on.ca . Mr. McGuinness has also set up a website at www.rideforcancer.yolasite.com  which will be updated throughout his ride. In addition, the Canadian Mental Health Association National Branch will also be posting information on the ride at. www.cmha.ca

Please consider supporting Wayne in his dream, and help make this important ride a success.

Sincerely,

Peg Purvis, Executive Director; Canadian Mental Health Association – Brant County Branch

July 2010
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Bike Route				1 CANADA DAY KICK-OFF Mile Zero Victoria B.C. to Vancouver /Richmond	2 Vancouver / Richmond to Mission B.C.	3 Mission to Hope B.C.
4 Hope to Boston Bar B.C.	5 Boston Bar to Spence’s Bridge, B.C.	6 Spence’s Bridge / Merritt, B.C	7 Merritt / Kamloops, B.C.	8 REST	9 Kamloops / Vernon, B.C.	10 Vernon / Sicamous, B.C.
11 Sicamous / Revelstoke, B.C.	12 Revelstoke / Roger’s Pass, B.C.	13 Roger’s Pass / Golden, B.C.	14 Golden B.C. / Lake Louise, Alberta	15 REST	16 Lake Louise / Banff Alberta	17 Banff / Calgary, Alberta
18 REST	19 Calgary / Strathmore, Alberta	20 Strathmore / Brooks, Alberta	21 Brooks / Medicine Hat, Alberta	22 Medicine Hat, Alberta / Maple Creek, Saskatchewan	23 Maple Creek /Swift Current, Saskatchewan	24 REST
25 Swift Current / Chaplin, Saskatchewan	26 Chaplin / Moosejaw Saskatchewan	27 Moosejaw / Regina, Saskatchewan	28 Regina / Indian Head, Saskatchewan	29 Indian Head / Whitewood, Saskatchewan	30 Whitewood, Saskatchewan / Virden, Manitoba	31 Virden / Brandon, Manitoba

August 2010
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
1 Brandon / Portage La Prairie, Alberta	2 Portage La Prairie / Winnipeg, Manitoba	3   REST	4 Winnipeg / Falcon Lake, Alberta	5 Falcon Lake, Alberta / Keewatin, Ontario	6 Keewatin / Kenora to Dryden, Ontario	7 Dryden / Ignace, Ontario
8 Ignace / Upsula, Ontario	9 Upsula to Thunder Bay, Ontario END OF RIDE	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31

 

Racer's Choice Recreation "Opportunity Ride 2010" - Saturday, August 7, 2010  - Start/Finish at Racer's Choice, 1264 Colborne Street East, Brantford, ON

Registration is from 8:45 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.. Start Time: 10:00 a.m. Finish Time: 4:00 p.m. Cost is $10.00 per bike. All for two worthy causes; Canadian Mental Health Association-Brant County and Participation House Brantford

Register, get a passport and get out on the open road! 3 Passport Locations:

1. Brantford Tourism Centre - 399 Wayne Gretzky Parkway, Brantford, ON         N3R 8B4

2. Woodstock Peace Lighthouse - 160 Ferguson Drive, Woodstock, ON N4V 1A6

3. Perth County Welcome Centre & Artisan Marketplace - 2146 Hwy 7&8, Shakespeare, ON  N0B 2P0

Meet back at Racer's Choice for 4 p.m. for Awesome Prizes, Great Food & Fun

 All passports must be stamped at each destination in order for riders to be eligible for prizes and awards.

For more information, contact: Doug Hitchon at Racer's Choice Recreation at 519-754-1472, e-mail: sales@racerschoice.ca or Tourism Brantford: 1-800-265-6299,         e-mail: tourism@brantford.ca  For more information, visit: http://www.racerschoice.ca/pdf/OppRide.pdf

World Suicide Prevention Day - Friday, September 10, 2010 - The theme for this year's World Suicide Prevention Day is, "Many Faces, Many Places: Suicide Prevention Across the World. ; Light a Candle on World Suicide Prevention Day at 8:00 p.m. This year you can show your support of: World Suicide Prevention Day, suicide prevention and awareness, survivors of suicide and for the memory of lost loved ones by lighting a candle at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, September 10, 2010. For more information, visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) at www.iasp.info

CMHA Brant Annual General Meeting, Tuesday, September 28, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at the Brantford Visitor and Tourism Centre, 399 Wayne Gretzky Parkway, with guest speaker, Marc Laferriere from the Grand River Community Health Centre speaking on the topic, " How Primary Care Can Interface with Mental Health". For more information, call 519-752-2998.

Mental Illness Awareness Week, October 3 - 9, 2010 The goal of Mental Illness Awareness Week is to end the stigma associated with mental illness, and ensure better understanding and access to services. The MIAW campaign includes: Faces of Mental Illness and Champions of Mental Health Awards. For more information, visit the MIAW website at www.miaw.ca

Community Services Information Fair, October 4, 2010 from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at the Woodman Community Centre, 491 Grey Street, Brantford. Participating agencies include: Alzheimer Society of Brant, Brant ACTT-St. Joseph's Healthcare, Brantford Vocational Training Association (BVTA), Brantford Native Housing, Pregnancy and Resource Centre, Canadian Mental Health Association-Brant County Branch, Children's Aid Society of Brant, Contact Brant, Ganohkwasra Family Assault Support Services, Grand River Community Health Centre, Nova Vita Women's Services, Sexual Assault Centre of Brant, Six Nations Child and Family Services, St. Leonard's Mental Health and Addictions Services, Woodview Children's Mental Health and Autism Services. Free Admission, Door Prizes and Refreshments. For more information, call 519-752-2998, ext. 112.

Addressing Hoarding through Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Workshop, October 7, 2010 from 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at the Salvation Army Wynfield Community Church, 33 Diana Ave, Brantford, with Dr. Karen Rowa, Psychologist from the Anxiety Treatment & Research Centre, St. Joseph's Healthcare. Registration fee is $75.00 per person. Space is limited, please register no later than September 20, 2010 to reserve a spot. For more information, call 519-752-2998, ext. 112

World Mental Health Day, October 10, 2010 - The theme for this year's World Mental Health Day is,"Mental Health and Longterm Illness: the Need for Integrated Care" . WMHD serves to raise public awareness of mental health issues. The day promotes more open discussion of mental illnesses and investments in prevention and treatment services. For more information, visit the World Federation for Mental Health website at www.wfmh.org

3rd Annual Suicide Awareness Fundraiser, November 5, 2010 at the Paris Fairgrounds, 139 SiIlver Street, Paris, ON.  Entertainment, food and displays. More information will be available closer to the date. Please e-mail Corine at corinejhnsn@yahoo.ca for more details.

WOW Spa Fundraiser, November 17, 2010 at the Paris Fairgrounds from 6 - 10 p.m. Doors open at 5:45 p.m. More details will follow closer to the date. For more information, call Peg at 519-752-2998, ext. 102

National Survivors of Suicide Day, November 20, 2010 is a day of healing for survivors of suicide loss around the world. On this day, 250 simultaneous conferences will be held throughout the world. This unique network of healing conferences helps survivors connect with others who have survived the tragedy of suicide loss, and express and understand the powerful emotions they experience.; To mark this day,  the Mental Health & Suicide Awareness Committee of Brant is hosting a Survivors of Suicide Healing and Information Day  at the Mini-Theatre at North Park Collegiate, 280 North Park Street, Brantford  from 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.. For more information, call 519-752-2998, ext. 112

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