OTTAWA – Six-time Olympian Clara Hughes wrapped up her national bicycle tour in support of mental health Tuesday in Ottawa, just in time for Canada Day celebrations.
Covering more than 11,000 kilometres, through 105 communities in all ten provinces and all three territories, Clara's Big Ride for Bell Let's Talk engaged Canadians in the national conversation about mental health. Hughes was welcomed to more than 150 community gatherings and 80 school and youth events from coast to coast to coast, hearing the stories of thousands of Canadians touched by mental illness, and sharing the facts of her own struggle with depression.
"I'm grateful to the tens of thousands of Canadians – public officials, volunteers, teachers and so many young people – who have committed to making their communities and the entire country stigma free," said Hughes, in a statement. "My thanks go out to all of you, and to everyone who made the Big Ride a reality – our support riders, everyone on the Big Ride support team, our Community Champions, our National Partners. The Big Ride couldn't have happened without all of you!"
"The Bell Let's Talk campaign is helping to shatter the stigma of mental illness one text at a time, one voice at a time and one conversation at a time," added Minister of Health Rona Ambrose. "Clara's journey over the last few months has inspired more people to speak openly about their personal struggles with mental illness. Thank you, Bell Canada, for spearheading this work, and thank you, Clara, for being the brave face of this campaign."
The Bell Let's Talk mental health initiative is a national charitable program that promotes Canadian mental health across Canada with the Bell Let's Talk Day anti-stigma campaign and significant funding for community care, research and workplace best practices.
www.Bell.ca/LetsTalk
