Finding a charity to donate to can be a tough exercise considering the fantastic work that hundreds of charities do daily. This month Edge would like to shine a light on mental health.
Through out October, there were many amazing initiatives taking place such as the Instagram challenge where you used the hashtag #QMHWTakeTime to show how a Queenslander takes time for their mental wellbeing or ‘Light up Brisbane’ where many landmarks around Brisbane lit up in bright purple on World Mental Health Day. All this is to raise awareness of the value of positive mental health and wellbeing. Kate, our Senior Portfolioi Manager also got involved by being part of the walk for awareness helping to break the silence on mental illness and support the Mental Awareness Foundation.
What is the Mental Awareness Foundation?
1 in 5 Australians are affected by mental health but many do not seek help or openly talk about it due to surrounding stigma and prejudice. According to the World Health Organisation, in 2016 alone 2,866 people died from suicide in Australia. This is an average of 8 Australians a day with men being 3 times more likely to take their lives than women. The walk for awareness, organised by the Mental Awareness Foundation is 8KM, each kilometre representing one of those Australians who take their life each day.
The Mental Awareness Foundation tries to break the stigma around mental illness and encourages open conversations around suicide and depression. They want to shine a different light on those struggling with depression and strongly advocate for the rights, acceptance and recognition of people dealing with mental illnesses.
The charity was founded due to the founder losing 2 close friends to suicide within 3 months of each other. He wanted to prevent this from re-occurring and make a difference to individuals struggling with this illness. His ambition is to create a safe space where he can bring people together to talk about mental health openly and raise awareness of depression and mental illness.
The 2019 walk raised $141,893 had 862 fundraisers and 2,548 donors.
Edge encourages you to consider those around you be aware of those that may be struggling with mental health. To donate or to learn more about the Mental Health Foundation, please follow the link – https://donate.everydayhero.com/d/j5YsA1_PWwKecvUsfPfg9w/amount. For those that have donated to this great cause, we thank you.
