MONTREAL – The seventh annual Bell Let's Talk Day will take place on January 25, 2017, Bell confirmed Wednesday.
With a strategy built on four key action pillars – anti-stigma, care and access, research and workplace leadership – Bell Let's Talk has partnered with more than 700 organizations across Canada to deliver new care initiatives in every region of the country, including through donations to major institutions; the annual Bell Let's Talk Community Fund; the Bell True Patriot Love Fund for military members, veterans and their families; and a dedicated fund for Canada's three Territories.
National spokesperson and six-time Olympian Clara Hughes is once again leading the campaign that invites all Canadians to talk, text, tweet, share to fight the stigma around mental illness. This year, social media engagement will also expand to Instagram and Snapchat.
Bell Let's Talk Day donations are fully funded by Bell directly based on engagement by Canadians in the cause. Bell donates 5 cents to Canadian mental health programs for each of these interactions on Bell Let's Talk Day at no extra charge to participants:
– Every text message, mobile and long distance call made by Bell Canada and Bell Aliant customers;
– Twitter: Every tweet using #BellLetsTalk;
– Facebook: Every view of the Bell Let's Talk Day video at Facebook.com/BellLetsTalk
– Instagram: Every post using #BellLetsTalk
– Snapchat: Every use of the Bell Let's Talk Snapchat geofilter
The Bell Let's Talk Day 2017 awareness campaign begins Boxing Day on multiple TV networks, online and out of home, and starting January 2 in Cineplex and Guzzo theatres and at Hot Docs. New advertising spots in English and French convey messages of hope while upending stereotypes by highlighting the reality that mental illness affects all of us, not just the person who is sick.
Bell Let's Talk Day 2016 set new records for participation with 125.9 million messages of support, growing Bell's funding for Canadian mental health by $6,295,764.75. With approximately 598,383,571 million such interactions by Canadians over the last six Bell Let's Talk Days, Bell's total commitment to mental health, including an original $50-million anchor donation, has climbed to $79,919,178.55 – well on the way to it's target of at least $100 million by the end of 2020.
"Bell Let's Talk Day fights the pervasive stigma around mental illness by inviting everyone to get engaged, and to keep on talking about this critical national health concern every day”, said BCE and Bell Canada president and CEO George Cope, in the news release. “By joining the conversation on Bell Let's Talk Day, you directly drive Bell's funding for Canadian mental health, expanding proven frontline programs and launching innovative new approaches in care, research and workplace leadership."
