Bell Celebrity Gala raises $1.16 Million for CAMH

More than 2,000 guests, leading corporate sponsors and over 100 celebrities support enhanced community care and access at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

TORONTO, Oct. 15 /CNW Telbec/ - Bell today announced that last night's 2010 Bell Celebrity Gala raised $1.16 Million for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), a world leader in mental health care, research and education. With $580,000 in event proceeds plus a matching donation from Bell of $580,000, this gift supporting enhanced community care and access at CAMH is the latest effort in the national Bell Mental Health Initiative.

"Bell is very proud to join all of our Gala guests, sponsors and celebrities in delivering such extraordinary support for CAMH and its crucial work in accelerating access to care for those suffering from mental illness," said Mary Deacon, Chair of the Bell Mental Health Initiative. "With our five-year Bell Gala commitment to CAMH, we look forward to supporting the hospital as it further enhances community care and access - a fundamental pillar of Bell's national mental health program."

"The CAMH team is very grateful to Bell for its leadership in supporting Canadian mental health and to everyone involved with the Bell Gala for their commitment to advancing care for people with mental illness and addictions," said CAMH President and CEO Dr. Catherine Zahn. "This generosity will enhance our work to transform lives through the latest in scientific advances, integrated and compassionate clinical practice, health promotion, education and research discoveries."

Every year, CAMH treats tens of thousands of people through an extensive range of inpatient, outpatient and community-based initiatives uniquely tailored to meet the needs of clients in various stages of their lives and illnesses. The CAMH team of doctors, researchers, nurses, therapists, educators, staff, volunteers and students demonstrate a compassion and commitment to care that has earned them recognition and respect for their work in addiction and mental health issues across Canada and around the globe.

The Bell Celebrity Gala's five-year commitment to CAMH is another cornerstone of the Bell Mental Health Initiative. This multi-year national charitable program is built around 4 pillars: 1) Anti-stigma: raising awareness and reducing stigma around mental illness 2) Care and access: support for a range of new community care and access opportunities 3) Research: funding for new research and treatment options 4) Workplace: developing mental health best practices alongside other leading corporations.

The 2010 Bell Gala was supported by more than 2,000 guests; presenting sponsor Samsung; corporate sponsors BMO, Blakes, CGI, Fujitsu, Huawei, IBM, LG, VMC, Research in Motion and Resource Integrated; media sponsors the Globe and Mail and CTV; and more than 100 Canadian and international celebrities from the worlds of sports, entertainment and media - including Olympic multi-medalist Clara Hughes, national spokesperson for the Bell Let's Talk anti-stigma campaign.

"Knowing the devastating impact of mental illness and the tremendous positive impact that organizations like CAMH can have on people's lives, it's so encouraging for me to see such intense support from everyone at the Bell Gala for mental health and for the CAMH team," said Ms. Hughes.

The Bell Let's Talk national awareness campaign led by Ms. Hughes includes the annual Bell Let's Talk Day national fundraising event, the first of which will take place on February 9, 2011. For every text message sent and every long distance call made by Bell customers that day, Bell will donate 5 cents to programs dedicated to mental health.

The facts of mental illness and its impact on Canadians are startling, underlining the need for accelerated support for mental health at all levels:

• At least one in five Canadians experiences a form of mental illness at some point in their lives - every one of us has a family member, friend or colleague who will experience mental illness
• Mental health funding is modest relative to other health care issues - mental illness represents 15% of Canada's health care burden but receives only 5% of health care funding
• Just one-third of Canadians who need mental health services actually receive them
• Mental illness is the number one cause of workplace disability in Canada - accounting for 30% of disability claims and 70% of disability costs
• Mental illness costs the Canadian economy $51 billion each year in lost productivity - every day, 500,000 Canadians are absent from work due to a form of mental illness.

CAMH is the latest leading health care organization to benefit from the Bell Mental Health Initiative. Last month, Bell announced a $1 Million donation to the Royal Ottawa Hospital to expand the Royal Ottawa Telepsychiatry Program. As part of its community care and access pillar, Bell will announce support for a range of other health care organizations at the community and national levels going forward.

About Bell
Headquartered in Montréal, Bell is Canada's largest communications company, providing consumers and business with solutions to all their communications needs, including Bell Mobility wireless, high-speed Bell Internet, Bell TV satellite television and Bell Fibe TV, Bell Home Phone local and long distance, and Bell Business Markets IP-broadband and information and communications technology (ICT) services.

Bell is wholly owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE). For information on Bell products and services, please visit www.bell.ca. For BCE corporate information, please visit www.bce.ca.

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For further information:

Julie Smithers
Bell Media Relations
[phone]
j[email protected]