Ellen’s Back and She’s Inviting You to Her Birthday Party!

January 19, 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ELLEN’S SKATE FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND ONLINE AUCTION

Charlottetown— Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA-PEI) is pleased to announce that thirteen-year-old Ellen Carragher of Stratford, PEI will be hosting the second annual Skate for Mental Health at Eastlink Centre on February 11 at 5:30 p.m. The hour-long public skate sponsored by ProTrim Fitness, Boston Pizza and Standardbred Racetrack Chaplaincy of Canada, will be followed by a pizza party and cake.  There is no cost to participate, however Ellen is encouraging donations to the CMHA-PEI in lieu of an entrance fee.

Skate for Mental Health is an initiative that Ellen, with the help of her parents Jim Carragher and Denise Doiron, started last year in memory of her uncle Freddie who lost his battle with depression.  Ellen herself has been diagnosed with anxiety and saw this event as an opportunity to get people talking about mental health.  Initially her goal was to raise awareness and a little bit of money for mental health programs and services, but in the end she raised almost $10,000 last year and reached a lot more people than she anticipated with her messages of hope and recovery through more open dialogue.

On the Skate for Mental Health Facebook event page Ellen states: “I wanted to remind people who are also struggling with anxiety or other mental health issues that they are not alone, and that it’s important to talk about your struggles and reach out for help. I personally know how hard it is to talk about this in front of people, and I also know how awful it feels to keep it inside and not talk about it at all.”

“We’re thrilled that Ellen and her parents have decided to turn this into an annual event. Her bravery in telling her story, and encouraging others to keep the conversation going, is inspiring. We’re extremely fortunate at CMHA-PEI to have such a wonderfully articulate, empathetic and giving young person, with lived experience, champion a message of talking about mental health and seeking help early”, says Bianca McGregor, Manager Fund Development, Marketing and Communications, CMHA-PEI.

Ellen has teamed up with CMHA-PEI to create her own online donation form where donors can get an automatic charitable tax receipt and have their donation logged as part of the Skate for Mental Health campaign. The link, as well as more details about this event, can be found on her Facebook page @mentalhealthfundraiser-PEI.

In addition to the Skate, Ellen will be hosting an online auction which will go live on February 4^th and remain open for bidding until early evening on February 11^th.  Auction items include overnight hotel stays, vacation packages, gift certificates to restaurants and products from a variety of local retailers. Bidders can access the auction at www.32auctions.com/skateformentalhealth. 

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For more information contact:

Bianca McGregor

Manager, Fund Development, Marketing and Communications

[email protected]

902-628-3668 (office) / 306-737-3031 (cell)

Denise Doiron

Ellen’s Mother

[email protected]

(902) 213-3634 (cell)

BACKGROUND

• One in five Canadians will experience a mental health problem in any given year
• Mental health problems affect people of all ages, educational background and income levels

The Canadian Mental Health Association – PEI is one of ten provincial divisions of Canada’s first and only truly national mental health organization.  Specialized services and supports are delivered in, and tailored to, the community and its mental health needs.  CMHA-PEI exists to promote the mental health of all persons on the Island by working with individuals, groups and communities to increase control over, and enhance, their mental health.