‘Ride Don’t Hide’ raises $58,000 for mental health in Peel!

Download the media release in PDF format.

Brampton, Ontario – The Canadian Mental Health Association Peel Branch (CMHA Peel) is excited to announce that Sunday’s Ride Don’t Hide community cycling event has raised 58,000 for local mental health programs and initiatives.  Download the media release in PDF format.

Brampton, Ontario – The Canadian Mental Health Association Peel Branch (CMHA Peel) is excited to announce that Sunday’s Ride Don’t Hide community cycling event has raised 58,000 for local mental health programs and initiatives.

Over 200 cyclists came out to Caledon to raise awareness and funds, cycling one of four routes; the 100 km, 50 km or 25 km road routes, or the 20 km Family Ride along the Trans Canada Trail.  CMHA Peel’s second annual community bike ride was one of 27 Ride Don’t Hide events taking place across Canada raising over $1.1 million dollars for mental health programs nationally.

“The Ride Don’t Hide movement continues to grow and we want to thank the community for their support and enthusiasm which has made this event a huge success,” says CMHA Peel CEO, David Smith. “From our sponsors and local businesses who support this Ride; to the cyclists and those who donated to the Ride; to our awesome volunteers – the support has been overwhelming and we are very thankful.”

This event wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of our sponsors including:

• National Sponsors: Miele and Clif Bar
• National Performance Apparel Sponsor: Sugoi
• Provincial Corporate Partner: Desjardins Insurance
• Diamond Sponsors: IDA Peckett’s (Mississauga) & IDA Saint Peter Pharmacy Care (Brampton) and Scotiabank
• Gold Sponsor: Rice Holdings
• Silver Sponsors: Fidelity Investments, The Meyer Financial Group (CIBC Wood Gundy), Privacy Wave andca
• Bronze Sponsors: Anacond Contracting, CRMS Software, Dynamic Funds, Kerbel Group-City South, Home Trust, Manulife Financial, ScotiaMcLeod Brampton and Sentry Investments
• Community Sponsors: Lifestyles Promotions Inc. and Roto-Precision Inc.

Special thanks to our community partners:

• Maple Lodge Farms and their community team for providing lunch to all participants and volunteers
• Raleigh Canada who once again provided mechanical support to Ride Don’t Hide Peel and donated a new Raleigh Detour 5.5 hybrid bicycle
• Bristol Car and Truck Rental for their logistics support
• CTX Fitness – Christina Tonello, our fitness, training and nutrition coach
• Muscle Milk – for helping our cyclists finish their ride right!
• Mississauga Steelheads – whose community events team helped make the day extra special for families

We also thank the following community supporters for their donations and support, which helped ensure the Ride Don’t Hide was a success: The Lunch Box (Brampton), Higher Grouds Café (Belfountain), Titika Active Wear, Panera Bread, Skiis and Biikes, Caledon Hills Cycling, Culligan Water, Nestle Waters, St. John’s Ambulance, Vintage Hotels, Steam Whistle Brewing, Mastermind Toys, Caledon OPP, the Region of Peel and the Town of Caledon.

About Ride Don’t Hide

Ride Don’t Hide is an annual community bike ride hosted by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) in celebration and support of mental health for all, with the goal of ending the stigma around mental illness. Ride Don’t Hide is a growing national movement with community bike rides in 28 cities across BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario.

The Ride Don’t Hide movement began in 2010 with Michael Schratter, a Vancouver school teacher living with bipolar disorder, who spent almost a year and a half cycling 40,000 km around the globe. Armed with only his bike, a knapsack and the determination to realize his dream of raising awareness and empowering those who experience mental illness, his story inspired millions of people and raised $100,000 for CMHA.

“With some 4,500 Canadians expected to participate on June 21, Ride Don’t Hide is poised to become the largest mental health advocacy event in Canadian history,” says Schratter. ”Never in a thousand years could I have expected that it would become what it is today.”

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For more information or to arrange an interview please contact:

Nisha Lewis  – Manager, Communications and Resource Development

Email : lewisn@cmhapeel.ca

Tel:  905-451-1718 Ext. 303           Cell: 416-540-5729

www.cmhapeel.ca