Racing to give more youth a brighter future

Registration is now open for the 2022 RBC Race for the Kids in support of youth mental health

TORONTO, June 7, 2022 /CNW/ - RBC Race for the Kids is back with both in-person and virtual options for participants, and registration is now open at RBCRacefortheKids.ca.

The five-kilometre run/walk will take place at Mel Lastman Square on September 17, 2022, or join virtually at a distance and place of your choosing.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of RBC Race for the Kids in Toronto, which has raised more than $18 million for Sunnybrook's Family Navigation Project (FNP). FNP has paired thousands of youth, between 13 and 26 years old, and their families in the Greater Toronto Area with clinically trained navigators who help them find the mental health and addictions services they urgently need. Since its launch in 2013, FNP has seen a 70 per cent increase in the number of clients, with almost twice as many youth reaching out for help during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"In my 35 years as a practising psychiatrist, I've never seen anything like this. The growing need for youth mental health care is, quite simply, unprecedented," says Dr. Anthony Levitt, founder and medical director of FNP. "With RBC's support, and the immense success of events like RBC Race for the Kids, FNP is serving more young people and their families. Now more than ever, we need to come together to support families impacted by mental health."

FNP is funded by RBC Race for the Kids, as well as other generous donors.

"Helping young people thrive is fundamental to RBC's values and to sustaining the kind of world we want children and young people to grow up in," says Troy Maxwell, Chief Operating Officer, RBC Capital Markets. "RBC Race for the Kids enables our community to go the distance for youth mental health in support of Sunnybrook's Family Navigation Project and the vital services it provides for youth and their families."

Registration and complete race details are available at rbcraceforthekids.ca. Space is limited at Mel Lastman Square, so participants are encouraged to register early before the race sells out.

To learn more about Sunnybrook's Family Navigation Project, visit sunnybrook.ca/familynavigation.

SOURCE Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

For media enquiries, please contact: Jennifer Palisoc, Communications Advisor, Sunnybrook, [email protected]