Donnell Beaton and Lena Burger pictured at the BOLD Centre in Baddeck. (Contributed)
April 2024
As a charity organization, the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia raises money to support mental health initiatives in communities across the province. Donations support the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia’s Community Grant program, which enables projects at the grassroots level to deliver crucial services, supports, and education relating to mental health and wellness, mental illnesses, and addictions.
Projects funded through the Community Grant program take on many forms. Some offer free counselling sessions to those in need while others highlight the power of creative therapies.
“Once a month, I receive one-on-one music therapy,” says a Community Grant-funded program participant. “I get to choose and select the music we sing. I feel happier and more at peace, as the music helps to alleviate negative thoughts.”
In April 2024, with the support of the Nova Scotia Office of Addictions and Mental Health, the Foundation awarded $1.8-million in Community Grant funding to 87 community-based projects—many of which aim to serve vulnerable populations such as seniors.
“Our Community Grant program shows us what Nova Scotians are looking for in their communities,” says Starr Cunningham, President & CEO of the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia. “They’re telling us the seniors in this province need mental health support, and they’re designing programs to provide it.”
One such initiative aims to address the social isolation commonly reported among older adults. The BOLD Centre in Baddeck, Cape Breton developed the Better Together project to create intergenerational learning opportunities that bring together youth and seniors living in the community.
Another Community Grant awarded to the Flourish 55+ Healthy Activity Society in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia will enable the creation of support groups for those who find themselves in caregiving positions and for people struggling with the loss of a loved one.
In Chester, the Shoreham Village Senior Citizens Association will use a Community Grant to continue its Between the Mountains Music Therapy program for residents of their long-term care facility.
These are just a few of the projects supported by the latest round of Community Grant funding, with another round set to be awarded later this year.
“We’re grateful to our donors for making the Community Grant program possible, and to our grant recipients for their commitment to mental health programming,” says Cunningham. “We feel so much hope every time we award this funding because it really exemplifies how much Nova Scotians care for each other.”