By age 25, approximately 25% of Canadians will have had an episode of mental illness. Nearly 70% of of people living with mental illness report that the onset of their mental health problems occurred during adolescence.

The 2016 National College Health Assessment found 60% of students experienced feeling hopeless in the previous 12 months, while 44% felt so depressed they could not function. 13% seriously considered suicide and 2.1% attempted it.

Once depression is detected, help can make a difference for 80% of people!

A big challenge for many school-aged youth and their parents who are impacted by mental health issues, if and when they overcome the stigma associated with it, is that they don't know where to turn when they want to talk about it.

That is where the Sunnybrook Family Navigation Project kicks in: welcoming and supporting families who have a young person suffering from a mental health or addiction issue, and guiding them to find the help they need when they need it.

We are supporting the Sunnybrook Family Navigation Project, by participating in the RBC Race for the Kids, because we know too many people, friends and family, who have gone or are going through this life-daunting experience and did not know how to address it. We have two boys ourselves and would not have known what to do if fate would have hit us.

We hope we can count on your support to sponsor us and be part of those making a difference for our youth.

We will run the 5km race if we manage to raise up to $25,000, but will do the 10kn race if we raise more than $25,000 so that those who like Jos a little less also have a good reason to support us.