Trillium Mutual Donates $50,000 to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Ontario Division to Increase Program Accessibility Across Rural Ontario

LISTOWEL, ON, JULY 22, 2020/insPRESS/ – Trillium Mutual Insurance, a leading Mutual insurer focused on protecting and enhancing farm and rural communities, proudly announces a $50,000 donation to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Ontario Division though their ROOTS Community Fund to support the role out of the “In The Know” mental health literacy program.

CMHA Ontario has partnered with the University of Guelph and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) to support the roll out of the “In the Know” program. Developed at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, by PhD candidate Briana Hagen and Professor Andria Jones-Bitton the program focuses directly on improving mental health literacy in agriculture and increasing help-seeking among farmers.

“Trillium’s generous contribution was the catalyst that forged this great opportunity for us to support the agriculture community with mental health awareness and suicide prevention training,” said Camille Quenneville, CEO CMHA Ontario.  Camille’s video testimonial can be found here.

“Trillium Mutual believes that through this partnership, CMHA Ontario will be able to improve the accessibility of mental health resources to farmers and rural communities across the province,” said Tracy MacDonald, President & CEO of Trillium Mutual.

“The Ontario Veterinary College is pleased to see this support for the health and well-being of our farming community,” said Dr. Jeff Wichtel, Dean of the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph. “Prof. Jones-Bitton’s passion and advocacy for this important topic has opened the door to better equip Ontario agriculture to proactively address mental health.”

The “In the Know” course is an evaluated mental health literacy training program for farmers and people who work with farmers that has been shown to increase participants’ mental health knowledge and confidence in recognizing mental health struggles, speaking about mental health, and helping others who are struggling.  The course provides education on topics such as stress, depression, anxiety, substance misuse and how to start a conversation around mental well-being. CMHA Ontario will be working closely with the OFA, the province’s largest general farm organization, to ensure maximum outreach and benefit to Ontario’s agricultural community.

“We are really excited for this partnership to come together because our organizations are well-aligned to collaborate on this work. With the evidence-based ‘In the Know’ program from the University of Guelph, delivery provided by the mental health professionals at CMHA and our goal at OFA to increase mental health literacy in our farm communities, this contribution from Trillium will be a great benefit to our members,” said OFA president Keith Currie. “Our interest and support of mental health in agriculture is a long-term priority of the OFA, so we’re thrilled to see these efforts going to the next level. If we can increase mental well-being among our members, this benefits their lives, relationships and ultimately brings more opportunities for success to their farm businesses.”

Trillium Mutual Insurance: ROOTS Community Fund

Trillium Mutual Insurance Company has a long history of community support and has invested more than $1 million through the ROOTS Community Fund since it’s inception in 2014.  The ROOTS Fund contributes to the sustainability of rural communities in Ontario and focuses its support in key areas, such as: healthcare, emergency response, mental wellness, recreation, and agriculture sustainability.  To learn more about Trillium Mutual and their ROOTS Community Fund, please visit our website at https://trilliummutual.com/roots-community-fund/.

Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Division (CMHA)

CMHA Ontario is a not-for-profit charitable organization whose goal is to make resources and education available to all through their 28 Ontario branches. As an organization they are focused on creating a society that embraces mental health and works towards improving the lives of all Ontarians. For more information on the CMHA, to find your local branch or learn more about their resources please visit their website at https://ontario.cmha.ca/.

For more information or questions, please contact:

Trillium Mutual Insurance

Larry Holmes, Manager of Branding & Partnerships

519-291-9300

lholmes@trilliummutual.com

Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Division

Justin Dickie, Communications Officer

416-977-5580 ext. 4175

jdickie@ontario.cmha.ca