Hudson's Bay and WE Charity Collaborate to Support Mental Well-being Education for Students Across Canada

TORONTO, Sept. 10, 2018 /CNW/ -- Today, Hudson's Bay and WE Charity announced a collaboration to support WE Well-being, a new initiative that will empower young people across Canada to promote their own positive well-being and the well-being of their community. Being launched this September by WE Charity, the WE Well-being initiative will provide educational resources designed to foster positive well-being in the classroom. Hudson's Bay is the exclusive retail partner for the new initiative. Together the two iconic Canadian organizations collaborated on a limited-edition bracelet, available beginning September 10, that will help build awareness and raise funds for the WE Well-being initiative.

The WE Well-being for Youth Rafiki Bracelet will retail for $5.00 CAD with $2.50 from the sale of each bracelet going to support WE Charity’s WE Well-being initiative. The bracelet features Hudson’s Bay’s iconic stripes is available exclusively on thebay.com today.

"Mental health is an important issue that affects so many people in our communities. Hudson's Bay is committed to making a difference in the lives of Canadian youth by helping to enable access to tools and resources that support their well-being," said Alison Coville, President, Hudson's Bay. "To align with HBC Foundation's HEADFIRST mental health mission, Hudson's Bay's exclusive WE Well-being for Youth Rafiki Bracelet will raise funds to support WE Charity's WE Well-being program for students across Canada."

"We are honoured to partner with Hudson's Bay to bring this vital program to classrooms in Canada," said Craig Kielburger, co-founder, WE. "We know that 70% of mental health problems have their onset during childhood or adolescence, and together with Hudson's Bay we will empower young Canadians with the tools and resources to nurture and promote not only their own well-being but that of their community."

Launching to WE Charity's established network of 7,000 schools across Canada, the WE Well-being initiative will equip teachers with educational curriculum and supporting resources for students that fosters social, emotional, physical and mental well-being inside and outside of the classroom. The initiative aims to empower participants to build safe and caring environments while reducing stigma and other mental health risk factors. This new initiative beginning in September 2018, will consist of 100 educators from across Canada implementing the educational resources.

The WE Well-being for Youth Rafiki Bracelet will retail for $5.00 CAD with $2.50 from the sale of each bracelet going to support WE Charity's WE Well-being initiative. The bracelet features Hudson's Bay's iconic stripes is available exclusively at Hudson's Bay stores beginning this week and online on thebay.com today. Powered by WE Charity's 'Track Your Impact' technology, each product has a code that empowers consumers to track and learn exactly where and how their purchase makes an impact. Each code will also unlock mental well-being tips and actions for young people.

Further, Hudson's Bay is proud to name WE Charity as its national charity partner for Hudson's Bay's Giving Day, taking place at all Hudson's Bay stores on Friday, September 14^th. Consumers who purchase a $5 Giving Day ticket will receive savings of 20% throughout Hudson's Bay stores and online. 100% of proceeds from the sale of these tickets will go to WE Charity's WE Well-being initiative.

In addition to Hudson's Bay's collaboration with WE Charity, the HBC Foundation will make a donation of $100,000 CAD to WE Charity in support of its WE Well-being initiative.  This donation is part of the commitment the HBC Foundation made in 2017 to distribute $6 million CAD by 2020 to support mental health services in North America.

About WE
WE is a family of organizations that makes doing good, doable. WE is made up of WE Charity, empowering domestic and international change, ME to WE, a social enterprise that creates socially conscious products and experiences to help support the charity, and WE Day, filling stadiums around the world with the greatest celebration of social good. WE enables youth and families to better the world – supporting 7,200+ local and global causes by volunteering millions of hours of service, shopping daily with an impact, and raising millions of dollars that directly benefit their local communities and the world. Globally, our teams in Asia, Africa, and Latin America have provided more than 1 million people with clean water, built 1,000 schools and schoolrooms overseas, and empowered more than 200,000 children with access to education. WE was founded more than 20 years ago by social entrepreneurs, brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger. Join the movement today at WE.org.

About Hudson's Bay
HBC, incorporated in 1670, is North America's oldest company. Hudson's Bay has grown to become Canada's most prominent department store, today operating 89 full-line locations and thebay.com. For the first time since the banner's inception, Hudson's Bay opened outside of Canada with 10 new stores in the Netherlands in 2017, and an online shopping destination at hudsonsbay.nl. Hudson's Bay has established a reputation for quality, service, and style by offering well-edited assortments of exclusive and popular fashion, beauty, home and accessory designers and brands, as well as exclusive food concepts.  It is part of the HBC brand portfolio. The signature stripes are a registered trademark of Hudson's Bay Company.

About the HBC Foundation
Established in Canada in 2005, the Canadian HBC Foundation is the charitable arm of Hudson's Bay Company, a diversified global retailer and the oldest company in North America. The foundation is a Canadian registered charity dedicated to making mental health a priority in every community by increasing understanding and improving access to care through the HEADFIRST program.

For more information, or images, please contact:
Nerissa Jawanda
PR Specialist, Hudson's Bay
416-256-3371
[email protected]

Katryna Szagala
Associate Director, Public Relations, WE Charity
[email protected] 
647-298-7344

SOURCE Hudson's Bay