Having walked down the road himself, local resident Brett Hoy wants to be able to give back to the community through a new not-for-profit organization in Puslinch.
As Hoy spoke to Puslinch councillors in January, he explained that he and his family have established Mindful RemedEase, “a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the youth struggling with mental illness.”
Through fundraising, the intent is help support youth through various mental health groups such as Self Help Alliance, CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association) and the Guelph Drop-In Centre (Sister Christine).
Hoy said “many people in Puslinch benefit from these organizations we are hoping to help fund.”
The goal is to put most of the money towards social events, meals and necessities, which enable recovery and living a higher quality of life.
“We’d like to provide the funds to help spice up the programs and make them more appealing to young people,” said Hoy, who added the organization was requesting $5,000 as a donation from the township.
“This will benefit young people with mental illness.”
Councillor Ken Roth agreed mental illness is a very serious issue and suggested the request came at the right time as the township was in the midst of dealing with its budget.
Councillor Wayne Stokley noted the Puslinch COP (Community Oriented Policing) committee has done work on mental illness issues, such as prevention and dealing with it.
Hoy was unaware of those efforts.
Stokley stated the township is working with the COP committee on the issue and asked if Hoy anticipated providing a full letter of request to the township.
Hoy said the organization is still in its early stages – having just formed in April.
“We don’t have an operating budget and haven’t raised much money at all yet … and [I] hoped this would get the ball rolling,” said Hoy.
Councillor Susan Fielding agreed the item would be discussed at budget time, “but we can’t make any promises – we too don’t have large funds.” She agreed there were a number of young people in Puslinch and the surrounding area who deal with mental health issues.
In detailing to Mayor Dennis Lever the organization’s beginnings, Hoy said “when I was 19 I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.”
He went through the program offered by CMHA, but said groups such as those for cooking and gardening were not appealing for someone his age.
“I started this organization with the hope to run our own groups and base it on peer support,” he said, noting there have been discussions with CMHA and the Self-Help Alliance, who would use the money to spice up the programs.
“My whole idea was to be able to encourage more people to go out to these groups … I really benefitted from meeting people with similar struggles.”
Hoy added, “sitting listening to a doctor tell you what to do just gets old after a while,” especially for a young person.
“If I had just been able to talk to others my age a bit further on in recovery … I would have really benefitted. That is why I am doing this and my family is behind me.”
So far the organization has received roughly $1,000 from family and friends but a number of local businesses have been approached, he said.
Councillor Matthew Bulmer said he was impressed by Hoy’s story. “It is a testament that he wants to give back to his community.”
