News and event information for Williams Lake, BC - as it happens.

Hundreds of women will come together in14 communities across Canada to host Women & Wellness proudly sponsored by Shoppers Drug Mart events in 2012.

The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is a nation-wide, charitable organization that promotes mental health and supports the recovery of people experiencing mental illness.

Women & Wellness is a unique and popular event that supports the important work of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). The money raised at these events will help the association deliver education and support programs for people afflicted with mental illness, their loved ones and the public.

Now in its 9th year, Women & Wellness began as a kitchen “party with a purpose” - to do something meaningful about mental health. Over the past six years, the fundraiser has received more than $600, 000 in donations and caught the attention of CMHA branches from coast to coast, with a total of ten events being held in Atlantic Canada, Ontario, and British Columbia last winter. The objective is to raise $1 million a year for the next five years.

While local and regional sponsors have been very supportive, there is still tremendous opportunity for growth with new events. In 2011, Women & Wellness experienced a fresh burst of new energy that resulted from the support of Shoppers Drug Mart as a strategic community partner across Canada who sees the power of this fund raising and friend raising event.

Shoppers Drug Mart has chosen women’s health as its core cause making it the only Canadian company to dedicate its resources to improve the health of all Canadian women in BODY, MIND and SPIRIT. Their women’s health initiative connects women to health information and resources that help ensure their health only gets stronger.

“Through education and encouragement we hope to see a society in which mental health and mental illness is discussed openly and in which those requiring help feel empowered to ask for it” says Helen MacDonnell, Founding Chair of Women & Wellness. “We will take the first steps toward this by harnessing the incredible power that is created by hundreds of women determined to fight the stigma associated with mental illness” she says.

Women & Wellness proudly sponsored by Shoppers Drug Mart is a movement created by and for women. It is therefore a special night designed to unite and empower women- reaching out to those who are affected by a range of mental health issues and concerns; whether they are experiencing these issues personally or acting as an advocate for someone who is not in a position to advocate for themselves.

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