October 16, 2024 | Photos by Stoo Metz Photography
On October 9th during Mental Illness Awareness Week, the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia hosted Let’s Keep Talking, an annual public event that invites the local community to talk openly about mental health and celebrate Nova Scotia’s community mental health champions.
Featuring keynote speaker and Canadian Olympian Clara Hughes and CTV National’s Paul Hollingsworth as emcee, it was an engaging and emotional evening that highlighted the role of community support in mental health healing and recovery.
“Mental illness does not discriminate. It can be insidious, cruel, and debilitating. But it’s not a weakness. It’s an illness,” said Foundation President & CEO Starr Cunningham in her opening remarks. “We need to remember there’s recovery, there’s support — and there’s hope.”
This year marked the tenth anniversary of Let’s Keep Talking (LKT), which launched in 2014 when Clara was cycling across Canada to raise awareness and combat the stigma surrounding mental health during Clara’s Big Ride for Bell Let’s Talk. The Foundation was named as the campaign’s charity of choice for Clara’s Halifax stop, and the first Let’s Keep Talking event was born.
Community Mental Health Champions
The event began with a celebration of the 2024 LKT Outstanding Individual Award recipients: Stacy Darku, Nancy Everson-Berrigan, Vince MacDonald, Sam Madore, and Ian Smith. These individuals live with mental illness or addiction themselves or support those who do. They use their own experiences to drive change, build supports, fight stigma, and improve the lives of those struggling with mental health.
Healing Together
Ten years after her first LKT address, Hughes returned to our podium to share her story of living with depression throughout her incredible career as a dual-season Olympic athlete.
She also emphasized how far mental health awareness and support has come in the last decade and even referenced the Foundation’s growing capacity to fund community mental health initiatives — in 2014, we awarded $200,000 in grant funding compared to $3.5 million this past year.
After a moving talk, Hughes left the audience with a hopeful message.
“Nothing is done alone,” said Hughes. “Every single person has the capacity to heal if they receive help. Community is so crucial and important. We are all carrying such a load. But none of us are alone.”
To recognize Hughes’ contribution to normalizing conversations about mental health in Canada and around the world, Bell’s Atlantic Vice Chair Glen Leblanc presented her with the 2024 LKT Outstanding Advocate Award.
“Talking openly about your experience — and how vulnerability can be turned into strength — has inspired so many people to take that first step towards their own recovery,” said Leblanc. “This is how we fight stigma.”
Let’s Keep Making an Impact
LKT has engaged thousands of Nova Scotians, raised significant funds for community-based mental health organizations and initiatives across our province, and continues to remind communities that conversations about mental health don’t just change lives, they save them.
“In 2014, Clara challenged us turn our event into a legacy, and here we are ten years later with Bell Let’s Talk, Clara, and Paul all back in the room,” said Cunningham. “Together, we’re changing the way people think. Here’s to the next ten years!”
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LKT and the LKT Awards were made possible through sponsorships from Bell Let’s Talk (Presenting Sponsor), Medavie Foundation (Gold Sponsor), Dalhousie University’s Department of Psychiatry, IWK Health’s Mental Health and Addictions, Nova Scotia Power, and The Berkeley Retirement Residences (Award Sponsors).
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