Mental Illness Awareness Week - February Update

MIAW News - February 2008

In this issue...

Dear Supporter of Mental Illness Awareness Week:

Welcome to the February edition of the 2008 Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) newsletter. The goal of this email is to provide you with a brief update on the organization of MIAW, the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health’s (CAMIMH’s) annual national public education campaign. CAMIMH is the largest and most comprehensive mental health coalition in Canada. It is comprised of associations that represent patients, professionals, service providers, researchers, clients and their families. For more information, please visit www.camimh.ca.

Planning for MIAW 2008 is well underway. This email contains news about fundraising, the Face Mental Illness Campaign, and a short survey on the MIAW campaign.

Dates

Mental Illness Awareness Week 2008 will take place from October 5-11. The Sixth Annual Champions of Mental Health Awards will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 8 in Ottawa.

Sponsorship & Fundraising

The MIAW organizing team would like to say thank you again to our 2007 sponsors. Mental Illness Awareness Week could not be produced without the support of our dedicated sponsors. We are very pleased to announce that the following organizations are supporting MIAW again this year: Canada Post Corporation (Platinum Plus), Fleishman-Hillard Canada, Time Magazine (Platinum), Janssen-Ortho (Bronze), and Iris the Dragon (Friends).

Our efforts in this area are continuing, and we hope in our next update to be able to tell you that we are closer to achieving our fundraising objectives. MIAW runs exclusively on the funding and support we receive from our sponsors. This means that the survival of the campaign is contingent on their continued support. If your organization, or someone you know, wants to play a part as sponsor, please let us know. We have expanded the sponsorship categories so there is an opportunity for everyone to show their support of MIAW. To request a sponsorship package, please send us an email.

ACTION NEEDED – Tell us What You Think About the MIAW Campaign

Mental Illness Awareness Week 2007 was a resounding success. However, we are always looking for ways to improve the campaign, and you can help by filling out this short survey.

This month we want your feedback on the materials (posters and bookmarks) we distribute for MIAW. We want to know if they are being used and if there are any other types of materials we could provide to you that would be helpful.

The 2008 “Faces” Campaign

We would like to say another big thank you to Tynan, Erynn, Mike and Jack, the 2007 ‘Faces’. These individuals are the cornerstone of the Face Mental Illness campaign.

Building on the success of the past four years, the theme for Mental Illness Awareness Week 2008 will once again be ‘Face Mental Illness.’ We are looking for four individuals from across Canada with diverse backgrounds who are willing to become a ‘Face’ for the 2008 campaign. Their stories will be featured on the posters and bookmarks we are printing, as well as in advertising and on our website.

If you know someone who make a good ‘Face’, please contact Daniel Madge to request a nomination form.

Candidates must be:

Comfortable talking about their personal stories in a public setting
Willing to be photographed and to have their photograph appear on the campaign materials and in various print publications such as the Globe & Mail and Time Magazine
Available to do interviews in the weeks leading up to and during MIAW (October 5-11, 2008)
Available to attend the Sixth Annual Champions of Mental Health Awards in Ottawa (October 8, 2008)
Aware that you are nominating them for this highly visible and very important role

We will evaluate each nomination using the criteria noted above and we would like the ‘Faces’ to represent:

as many regions of Canada as possible
a diverse demographic range (age, language, heritage, culture, gender)
a diverse range of mental illnesses
a diverse range of professional pursuits (arts, business, sports, etc.)

Champions of Mental Health Awards

Thank you to everyone who attended the Fifth Annual Champions of Mental Health Awards, which was held on October 3, 2007 in the Ballroom of the Fairmont Chateau Laurier in Ottawa. The gala event brought together approximately 280 members of the CAMIMH network, politicians, business leaders, sponsors and other stakeholders to celebrate the contributions of leaders committed to advancing the mental health agenda in Canada.

We are getting ready for the Sixth Annual Champions of Mental Health Awards and we want to hear from you. If you know someone who is advancing the mental health agenda in Canada, please contact Martin Sampson to request a nomination form.

Once again — thank you for your continued support! If you want to contribute in any way, please let me know.

National Director, Mental Illness Awareness Week
Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health
www.camimh.ca
www.miaw-ssmm.ca