2022 EVENT PROCEEDS
Proceeds from the 2nd Annual Forest City Cycling Challenge will support Mental Health Care at St. Joseph’s Health Care London and the purchase of exercise bikes dedicated to those with severe and persistent mental illness. In 2022, over $60,000 was raised by the Forest City Cycling Challenge and the event has now raised over $100,000 for mental health care over the first two years it has run !!
2021 EVENT PROCEEDS
In 2021, over $40,000 was donated to the MINDS project at St. Joseph’s Health Care London. Your support enabled the MINDS team to develop new resources and tools that will improve access to care for youth experiencing mental illness. During this period of heightened social isolation and uncertainty, your support of mental health initiatives is more important than ever.
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Connection between physical and mental health:
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Maintaining good physical health can have a significant impact on mental health.
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Regular physical exercise is known to improve symptoms of anxiety and depression, reduce stress and increase overall mood.
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Physical exercise increases the release of endorphins in the brain, which helps to relieve tension in the body and increase mood.
Source: Canadian Mental Health Association: https://cmha-yr.on.ca/physical-and-mental-health-the-connection/
Did you know?
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Mental illness affects everyone at some time either through their own experience, or that of a family member, friend or colleague.
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In any given year, 1 in 5 people in Canada will personally experience a mental health problem or illness.
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Approximately 20% of Canadian youth are affected by a mental illness or disorder.
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By age 40, about 50% of the population will have or have had a mental illness.
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Mental illness affects people of all ages, education, income levels, and cultures; however, systemic inequalities such as racism, poverty, homelessness, discrimination, colonial and gender-based violence, among others, can worsen mental health and symptoms of mental illness, especially if mental health supports are difficult to access.
Source: Canadian Mental Health Association: https://cmha.ca/brochure/fast-facts-about-mental-illness/