Join the Sashbear Walk to help transform lives!
May 27, 2018
Toronto
(FOR ALBERTA WALK DETAILS CLICK HERE)
Canada’s Biggest Awareness and Fundraising Event for Emotion Dysregulation
Register now to participate or volunteer or both.
EARLY BIRD!!!
All those who register by May 7 will be entered in the early bird draw prize and the first 500 participants will receive a Sashbear Walk t-shirt!
Walk Details
Where:
The Sunnyside Boardwalk, Toronto
When:
May 27, 2018 10:00 am –12:00 noon
Registration starts at 9:00 am – arrive early!
Watch Wajih Adbalnour's beautiful images of the 2017 Borderline walk.
Experience the moment - making waves and spreading skills in hope
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One day, One community, One message of Solidarity, Strength and Support Delivered, Like never before. And YOU can make it happen!
Lace up at sashbear.org
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Meet Olympians Heather and Brittany MacLean at Sashbear Walk Finish Line
Canadian Olympic swimmers Heather and Brittany Maclean want to talk about mental health and share the important work that Sashbear is doing. That’s why Heather and Brittany will meet walkers at the finish line. Heather says they are working to create a sense of celebration at the end of the walk. “We want to have a chance to talk to people and have people chat and share a snack and enjoy a bight summer day,” says Heather.
Sisters Heather and Brittany have gathered several of their Olympic friends to join them at the finish line to present medals specifically designed for this year’s Sashbear Walk. “This is very special to me,” says Heather. “Sasha and I stood on many podiums receiving medals together.”
Heather and Britanny MacLean grew up swimming with Sasha Menu-Corey at the Etobicoke Swim Club. Sasha died by suicide in 2011 and The Sashbear Foundation was created by Lynn Courey and Mike Menu in Sasha’s memory. Heather and Brittany represented Canada in the 2012 Olympics and Britanny represented Canada in the 2016 Rio Olympics where she won a bronze medal.
“I am in awe of the amazing work that the team behind Sashbear has done to make waves not just locally, but around the world,” says Brittany.
Both sisters speak openly about their own struggles with mental health. “My mental health crippled my performance at many points,” says Heather. Last summer Brittany wrote a moving essay about her mental health struggles which is posted on the CBC Sports website.
http://www.cbc.ca/playersvoice/entry/brittany-maclean-my-olympic-dream-came-true-yet-i-felt-worthless
“I’ve dealt with both anxiety and depression throughout my swimming career,” says Brittany. They weren’t necessarily things caused by my sport, but it did affect the way I was able to train and compete.”
Both sisters have managed the difficult transition from Olympic swimming to normal life. Heather retired from swimming in 2012 and is now a Labour and Delivery Nurse at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. Britanny retired in 2016 and is a sports marketer working with Royal Bank of Canada as an RBC Olympian and with the Toronto Blue Jays helping to execute promotional events at the Rogers Centre. She also works for Head to Head, mentoring young athletes, across Ontario.
The MacLean sisters feel that by participating in the Sashbear Walk they can help to create awareness for others suffering to let them know they are not alone. Heather says, “Being an athlete, we’re viewed as people that are strong and that don’t have mental health issues, but we do.”
Don’t miss keynote speaker Asante Haughton
Asante Haughton a mental health
advocate, inspirational speaker and CAMH
Difference Maker, is joining Sashbear at the walk this year.
Asante spent his
adolescence trying to navigate the complex social world of high school as he
cared for a mother experiencing psychosis. He was simultaneously trying to
figure out why he was deathly afraid of being outside and why he was just so
profoundly sad all the time. Passionate about positive social change, equality,
and mental health, Asante has dedicated himself to endeavours aimed at building
stronger communities. He is a poet, thinker, researcher, and a speaker who
believes in people, global interconnectivity, and positive personal change. Not
only has Asante made several TV appearances and been featured in the
documentary, "Three Voices" he has spoken internationally, presenting
in Canada, the United States, Colombia and most recently, Ireland. When not
trying to save the world, Asante can be found laughing at his own jokes,
Netflix'ing, watching cartoons, and being frustrated with Toronto sports teams.
More than anything though, Asante aims to deliver a message of social
awareness, social justice, community betterment, and above all, hope. Here is
the link to his TEDx talk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SipgIIf-Ehw
An Uncommon Story of Hope and Redemption | Asante Haughton | TEDxYouth@Toronto
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Special Guests:
R. Shelley - Entertainer who will sing her new song, “Other Side” that she has written especially for this year’s walk.
John Ralston – Actor from Life with Derek, Degrassi and most recently the TIFF feature Mary Goes Round.
Don Campbell – Performer
Marie McBride – from Cotter N The Act
Walk Details
Where:
The Sunnyside Boardwalk, Toronto
When:
May 27, 2018 10:00 am –12:00 noon
Registration starts at 9:00 am – arrive early!
Register now to participate or volunteer or both
Register now to participate or volunteer or both.
EARLY BIRD!!!
All those who register by May 7 will be entered in the early bird draw prize and the first 500 participants will receive a Sashbear Walk t-shirt!
Help us promote the walk by posting on your social media accounts #makingwaves and sharing our poster.
Here is the link to our poster
Together we are making a difference:
All funds raised by the Sashbear Walk go towards programs
that support families and youth struggling with mental health. The Sashbear
Foundation is a registered Canadian charity founded in 2011. Our signature
program is Family Connections™, a Dialectical Behavioural Therapy
(DBT) skills-based Peer-to-Peer program which provides skills to families.
There is no need for a referral or diagnosis and the program is free. Sashbear understands that families are on the
front line in the battle to fight mental illness and they need skills and
understanding. Our program is in high
demand as many health providers such as CAMH, SickKids, and the Canadian Mental
Health Association are referring families to us.
The Sashbear Foundation is leading the drive to
expand access to the Family Connections™ program across Canada. We now have programs
running in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.
In the Media:
Sashbear’s work with families continues to gain recognition, not only in mental health conferences in North America, Europe and the Middle East, but also here at home with news coverage such as CBC Metro Morning and CBC news.
Thank you and hoping to see you at the Walk!
The Sashbear Team
