“I was very isolated and alone. I didn't know people. Now, because of the CMHA’s Mood Walk program, I've made connections. I feel like Hawkesbury has really become my home—my community—because of this."
United Way East Ontario continues to improve the lives of those suffering from isolation and mental health issues in our rural communities.
Geneviève Desrochers, Mental Health Promoter, Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Champlain East, says not only is social isolation a bigger problem in rural communities compared to the city, but stigma around mental health is also worse.
According to the Eastern Ontario Health Unit’s summaries of the 2022 Population Mental Health Survey, 23% of residents in the region reported feeling socially isolated, and 11% indicated having experienced suicidal thoughts within the past month.
Thanks to our long-standing partnership with the CMHA, folks are getting out of their homes and finding those vital connections.
Mood walks creating a sense of community in Prescott-Russell
The CMHA’s Mood Walk program, powered by United Way, typically runs for four-weeks at a time. In it, participants gather for leisurely walks in nature, guided by a CMHA staff member who encourages them to think about and discuss mental health themes and strategies.
Denise wasn’t looking for help when she stumbled upon a poster for Mood Walks. She thought the program sounded like something that might benefit a friend of hers.
She ended up driving her friend to his first walk, took part, and says she got more out of it than she could have imagined.
Denise says the best part is she’s kept in touch with the friends she made at the walks and now they get together to do other fun activities.
“I moved [to Hawkesbury] during COVID, and I was very isolated. It’s hard to make new friends at this stage of life. When we started out on the first walk, everyone was pretty quiet. By the end of the four weeks, we were all chatting back and forth, exchanging phone numbers and really getting to know one another.”
No one should suffer in silence
The Mood Walk program is one of a handful of initiatives supported by United Way within the CMHA Champlain East, and the CMHA is one of many frontline mental health and addictions services we partner with across Prescott-Russell, Ottawa, Lanark County, and Renfrew County.
For your neighbour, sibling, coworker—or even you—mental health struggles and illness can be worsened by a crisis or a stroke of bad luck. The rising cost of living, the loss of a loved one, an increase in caregiving responsibilities, or any other of life’s curveballs only add pressure for someone who is already overwhelmed.
Chances are, you know someone struggling with common, increasing, or dire mental health challenges. You can help people get the support they need when they need it.
When you give to United Way East Ontario, you connect your neighbours with timely, accessible, and culturally appropriate mental health, addictions, and crisis care.
