What is mental health really?

Canadians are “getting loud” about what mental health really is.

This year, Mental Health Week runs from May 7-13. Since CMHA introduced it in 1951, Mental Health Week has been a “mental illness awareness week.” This year, it goes even deeper, to the very heart of what mental health really is.

1 in 5 Canadians experience a mental health illness or challenge every year. But all 5 in 5 of us have mental health, just like we all have physical health.

“We sometimes use the terms “mental health” and “mental illness” interchangeably. But being mentally well is not the absence of illness – in fact, mental health is something we all need to promote, protect and celebrate, says Claudia den Boer, CEO, CMHA, Windsor-Essex County Branch (CMHA-WECB).

CMHA-WECB is hosting events throughout the week as part of the campaign to Get Loud about what mental health really is.

The Kick Off for Ride Don’t Hide 2018 is being held on Thursday, May 10 at 10 a.m. at CMHA-WECB (1400 Windsor Ave.) with a call for participants. Ride Don’t Hide is a national cycling event on June 24th, starting at the Children’s Aid Society on Riverside Drive. Cyclists of all ages are invited to sign up at www.ridedonthide.com to ride with their friends, families, coworkers and communities to raise awareness and reduce stigma around mental illness.

The Windsor-Essex Ride Don’t Hide Champion this year is Chantal Vallée, Head Coach of the University of Windsor Women’s Basketball team.

To help raise awareness about mental health and reduce the discrimination and stigma around mental illness, CMHA hosts Ride Don’t Hide, an annual community bike ride taking place in 31 communities across Canada. Funds raised in Windsor

will stay in the community to support CMHA-WECB’s Bereavement programs for adults and children, the Client Assistance Fund and the Sole Focus Project.

The Ride Don’t Hide movement began in 2010 with Michael Schratter, a Canadian teacher living with bipolar disorder who spent almost a year and a half cycling around the world armed with only his bike and knapsack. His dream of empowering those experiencing mental illness touched people all over the world, and his journey has become a national movement that is both raising funds and breaking the stigma around mental illness.

Ride Don’t Hide Windsor Essex

When: Sunday, June 24 starting at 6 a.m.

Where: Children’s Aid Society, (starting/ending 1671 Riverside Dr. E.)

What: 10km, 20km, 50km & 100km routes – all scenic rides

In Windsor, cyclists have the option of a 10, 20, 50 or 100 km route starting at CAS and heading west along the scenic Riverfront trail. The ride is open to cyclists of all ages and skill levels. Registration and donations can be made online at www.ridedonthide.com.

About Sponsors

National Sponsors – Scimitar, Rocky Mountain, Frontstream, Clif Bar

Presenting Sponsor – AM800, CTV, RBC

Advocate Sponsors – Lisa & Brian Schwab, Facca, Heavy Construction Association of Windsor, Windsor Construction Association, Greater Essex County ETFO – Local Contract Teachers Union

Champion Sponsor – Highline Mushrooms

Ambassador Sponsors – The Co-operators, Tim Hortons, Foot Care Institute, Festival Tent, GECO – Occasional Elementary Teachers Union

Community Sponsors – Cycle Culture, Joseph’s, FreshCo, Sounds Plus, Culligan Water

From May 7-13, 2018, mentalhealthweek.ca is the go-to site to #GetLoud about what mental health really is. CMHA suggests ways to tune into our mental health and offers tools to make it easy for Canadians to #GetLoud on social media.

CMHA Mental Health Week was introduced in 1951 and has since become a Canadian tradition.

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mentalhealthweek.ca

@CMHAWECB #GetLoud #MentalHealthWeek