It wasn’t just the Chatham Maroons that won at the Chatham Memorial Arena Sunday night.
The team partnered with the Chatham-Kent Mental Health Table to put on the first fundraiser for the new 'Face Off for Mental Health' program.
It aims to create a safe space for young athletes to talk about mental health, both on and off the ice.
During warm-ups, the Maroons wore green jerseys that were then auctioned off to help raise funds for the program. The jerseys, along with the sale of other sports memorabilia and a donation from the Maroons, helped raise nearly $3,500.
Cathy DeBresser-Knowler, Chair of the CK Mental Health Table, told CK News Today it was the large crowd at Sunday’s game that really made the event a success.
“We really wanted to educate families on the effects of mental health on our kids, the signs and symptoms and what resources are available,” she said.
The idea for the program came in November after members of the Mental Health Table spoke to the Blenheim Blades ahead of the ceremony to honour former captain Craig Spence. The 22-year-old passed away after being involved in a crash on Highway 401.
DeBresser-Knowler explained the Maroons were more than happy to partner. The team had previously teamed up with the group to promote the Be Safe app.
For DeBresser-Knowler, having the Maroons take part sent the perfect message to all the kids across Chatham-Kent.
“They’re role models to those little kids. These little kids are seeing that the Maroons are saying, ‘It’s okay to not be okay,’” she explained.
DeBresser-Knowler added since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, around one in three kids suffer with their mental health. In 2019, it was believed to be around one in five.
Meanwhile, the plan is to partner with other sports teams across CK to continue the fight against the stigma around mental health.
