Fundraiser helps community mental health support in Sudbury
A cheque was presented to the Northern Initiative for Social Action, also known as NISA, on Thursday. It was money raised in the Defeat Depression Walk held back in May at Bell Park.
NISA is an organization that offers community mental health support and programs and peer-to-peer connections.
"We offer peer support. We do social support, art based learning art based recovery. We offer support on the phones when everything else is closed and people might be isolated and have mental health concern they can call in and do support with a peer," Martin Boucher, the executive director of NISA, told CTV News.
The Mood Disorders Society of Canada was on hand for the cheque presentation. Defeat Depression is a major national fundraiser for the non-profit that supports smaller community-based community mental health organizations like NISA.
"Individuals with mental illness need this kind of support and so across Canada we need to have some kind of an idea of how do we support these groups? How can we come together and let the federal government know and provincial government know the importance of small mental health organizations and the work that they do," Ken Porter, the national program manager with Mood Disorders Society of Canada, said.
Officials said there is great benefit in peer support that is offered at NISA with members all having lived experience with mental health challenges or illness.
"Human connection is important because mental illness has a tendency to make you feel isolated and it makes you feel like you are alone it makes you feel like you are disconnected from society," Porter said.
NISA believes in active recovery rather than passive dependence on community services, according to officials.
To learn more about NISA visit their website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.