Open Minds 2024

Thanks to our wonderful donors and sponsors, we were able to make a difference and build hope for all those whose lives have been affected by mental illness by raising $530,000 to support cutting-edge research at the Douglas Institute. All of this success wouldn’t have been possible without the collaboration of our partners – DJ LowGo’s live music, the cocktail bar operated by Brahm Mauer and a delicious menu carefully by Beatrice Ristorante.

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to Lisa Giannone, Chairman of Open Minds ’24, Aphrodite Salas for hosting the evening, our exceptional organizing committee, as well as our generous partners for this unforgettable evening:

• Gold Sponsors: National Bank, BFL Canada & Intact Insurance

• Silver Sponsors: Nova Steel, Agropur, EQ Bank, Canderel, Danson Décor, Dialogue, Fiera Capital, Fondation familiale Albert et Florence Aziz, IA Financial Group, Métro, Power Sustainable, PWL et BMTC

• Bronze Sponsors: Air Transat, Alimentation Couche-Tard, AGF, Bank of America, BCF, BMO, Deloitte, Desjardins, Forest Insurance solutions, EY, KPMG, Manulife, McCarthy Tétreault, MKB, Medavie, RBC Dominion Securities, Revau, Sagard Holdings, Sager et Teralys Capital

We would also like to thank SAQ for sponsoring the alcoholic beverages for the evening as well as La Dent Sucrée for the delicious cookies that were offered to all our guests at the end. We sincerely hope to see you again next year for another evening dedicated to mental health.

You can consult the evening’s Flickr photo album by clicking here.

It was a pleasure to welcome our guests last Thursday for the first edition of the Douglas Show. With stellar entertainment by our host Jo Cormier, and distinguished guests like Neev, Arnaud Soly, François Bellefeuille, Maude Landry and Laurent Paquin, we made a great impact with this humorous evening.

This success would have never been possible without the support of our title sponsor Pomerleau, our cocktail sponsors WSP and Stikeman Elliott, as well as Bell Let’s Talk and Slalom.

You can consult our Flickr album to remember the highlights of the evening: https://www.flickr.com/photos/187093563@N06/albums/72177720314450364/

We sincerely hope that you will join us for the next edition of the Douglas Show. Together, we are building hope for all those whose lives have been affected by mental illness.

The Douglas Foundation team

Please find enclosed the Douglas Foundation’s Annual Impact Report, which outlines how donor support is behind us every step of the way. Your support matters more than you might realize. Most importantly, it demonstrates that we are not alone in our dedication to pursuing innovative research and delivering compassionate care to those who need it most.

I want to thank you once more for your generosity. Together, we are building hope for all those whose lives have been affected by mental illness.

*Please note that the Foundation’s offices are closed from December 22 to January 2, 2024 inclusively. 

Happy Holidays,

Laura Fish, President and CEO

The establishment of the Douglas Legacy Society lets us extend deep appreciation to those including the Douglas Foundation in their estate plans. Society members enjoy many perks, including invitations to our annual recognition event and other special occasions, a unique Building Hope pin, and the choice of being named in our Annual Report.

We are happy it to announce our inaugural members: Gilles P. Gauthier, Dr. Michel Messier, Gilles Allard, and an anonymous donor. They have made the generous decision to include the Douglas Foundation in their legacy plans. We’re eager to welcome you to the Douglas Legacy Society too.

If you have already arranged a future gift, let us know. If not, we invite you to consider a bequest or other future gift provision. Your legacy gift can have a lasting impact, and builds hope for those affected by mental illness. This year we’ve renewed our partnership with Will Power—a campaign inspiring Canadians to give to charity through their wills.

Discover the impact your estate plans can have on the Douglas here. Your support now and in the future ensures the Douglas Foundation can continue building hope for everyone affected by mental illness. To join the Douglas Legacy Society or to learn more, please reach out to Julie Brown, our Senior Advisor for Planned Giving at [email protected].

Together, we make a difference.

According to Laura Fish, President and CEO of the Douglas Foundation, the annual Bell Let’s Talk campaign is an opportunity to remind people of the importance of supporting mental health research and care across the country. ” Together, we must continue to fund and improve the programs and services offered to all those who suffer from mental illness because current needs are huge,” she says.

The foundation’s team was welcomed by Marie-Andrée Mauger, mayor of Verdun, and members of the city council as well as Marie-Josée Boivin, Vice-President of Human Resources and Maria Crimi, Senior Manager, Community Investments at Bell.

To learn more about Bell Let’s Talk’s 2023 campaign or to learn more about their mental health ressources, click here.

This resounding success would not have been possible without the continued efforts of Marie-Hélène Thibeault, ambassador of the Douglas Foundation and the event’s organizing committee. “Again this year, we have come together on World Mental Health Day to take the cause to new a new peak and the results are breathtaking! The inspiring mobilization across Quebec bears witness to the crying needs for mental health research and care,” she said.

We would also like to note the extraordinary commitment of several students from the City of Granby who took up a major challenge: climb four mountains in the Eastern Townships in a single day to raise awareness on mental health issues amongst young people. Watch CBC’s news coverage by clicking here.

The Douglas Foundation team would like to thank the volunteer of the organizing committee, donors, sponsors and all the participants for their commitment to the cause of mental health. Thanks to you, we are able to build hope for all those whose lives have been affected by mental illness.

The Mind on Health Challenge is an individual or team-based sports challenge to raise funds for the Douglas Foundation. For more information about this event, click here.

Thank you and see you next year,
The Douglas Foundation’s team

Before the pandemic, 1 in 5 Canadians experienced a mental health problem or illness in any given year. In the first year of the pandemic, the World Health Organization recorded a massive increase of 25% in the global prevalence of anxiety and depression. Meanwhile, research showed that 61% of people with a pre-existing mental illness felt that their mental health had deteriorated during this period.

At the Douglas, we felt consequences of the pandemic acutely; at the same time, we are continually humbled by the dedication, selflessness, and agility that our staff demonstrated. The Douglas has in fact played an important and unique role during the pandemic.

Since March 2020, the Douglas has been the place of care for psychiatric patients who test positive for COVID-19 from across the province. We converted a patient unit to serve this purpose, and reconfigured additional space to house patients who cannot immediately return to their homes because of COVID-19. The Douglas also became one of many COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites.

The pandemic created many challenges, but responding to this evolving situation also presented opportunities to make much-needed investments in our digital and physical infrastructure.

In addition to adapting our mission to the realities of COVID-19 in the past two years, the Douglas has:

• Developed better internet infrastructure and make virtual patient visits possible.
• Installed Wi-Fi in buildings that previously did not have it, and upgraded internet capabilities in the spaces that did to keep our facilities up to date with the needs of today’s patients, visitors, and staff.
• Combined the Internet structure upgrade with the acquisition of tablets for patients at the Douglas to give them the the ability to connect with their loved ones virtually, especially when the pandemic complicated visitations and travel.
• Funded research to better understand the pandemic and investigated the pandemic’s impact on mental health to continually improve our treatment methods to better serve our patients.
• Built hope for front-line staff because people are at the core of our mission. The Douglas repeatedly thanked front-line staff working on COVID-19 units with meals, healthy snacks, and countless cups of fresh coffee.

I am constantly humbled by the generosity of our donors, yet some gifts in particular have had a lasting impact on my outlook on the work we do. A few years ago, the Douglas received a large bequest out of the blue—someone had named the Douglas in their will and dedicated a gift towards schizophrenia research and care, noting that their sibling had struggled with the illness their entire life.

To honor their wishes, the funds went towards schizophrenia research and PEPP-Montreal, a program for young people experiencing an untreated first episode of psychosis. This PEPP program is open to any youth that suspects they are experiencing psychosis, helping them stay on track towards adulthood with hope for full recovery. As an emerging practice in the field of mental health, this early intervention program was overjoyed to receive this level of support.

Planned gifts like this one often arrive unexpectedly—this is in fact part of their power. There are always emerging needs that have to be met, gaps in funding that have to be filled, new and important programs that can be launched, research discoveries yet to be made that need one final push, and an ever-growing number of patients that benefit from your generosity. Our donors are builders of hope, but perhaps none more so than those who leave us in their estate plans.

It is likely that each and every one of us will be affected by a mental illness in our lifetime—either directly, or because it affects someone close to us. This fact throws into sharp relief the importance of supporting mental health care and research, and the important role our donors play in our mission.

The story of this donor stayed with me because the impact of their gift continues to make a difference in the lives of our patients. By honoring their sibling who lived with schizophrenia, this donor gave today’s youth a real opportunity to manage their illness and to live their fullest life. They gave our patients a chance their sibling did not have. They have given the valuable gift of hope, which counts more than people know.

Thank you for your generosity,

Laura Fish
President and CEO of the Douglas Foundation

“I felt like it didn’t concern me,” he notes, “because I was young and strong. I thought it only happened to elderly people or people who took really hard drugs. I didn’t think it could happen to me.” 

Major life changes or transitions are often catalysts for symptoms of a mental illness to develop. After moving to Montreal, Martin was on his own and felt like he had lost his bearings. During one night in particular, he recalls, “I was texting all my friends and I seemed like I wanted to disappear or even commit suicide.”  

Luckily, Martin’s friends recognized that he wasn’t being his usual, carefree self. One of those friends checked up on Martin and decided he needed more help than a friend alone could provide. “He thought it best to call the police and let them handle it. The police picked me up and brought me here to the intensive care at the Douglas.” 

The ending of Martin’s moment of crisis also marked the start of his healing journey. After receiving his bipolar disorder diagnosis, Martin gained the tools to manage his illness and the humility to accept help. 

“I now know I have to live with a certain fragility that is going to follow me for the rest of my life,” Martin notes. “I know I’m not the same as I was before, and I don’t feel as invincible as I did before…I’m constantly reminded that I’m just a human being and that life is fragile.” 

Martin’s story is unique, but his experience is not unlike that of many other patients at the Douglas. Each patient’s story highlights the courage it takes to accept help, and builds hope for others who may feel alone or isolated by a mental illness. At the Douglas, we are developing new and effective early intervention treatments and constantly working to break down the stigmas that surround mental illness. No one is invincible; yet through our efforts, no one with a mental illness has to remain invisible.

To watch Martin’s video testimonial, click here.

Launched in January 2021, this initiative supports the development of innovative solutions to provide effective, sustainable, and accessible mental health care for everyone in Canada. This contribution will help to launch:

• A new digital learning platform for people living with schizophrenia developed by Martin Lepage’s team at the Douglas Research Centre.
• A new new digital mental health solution to help patients suffering from depression developed by Manuela Ferrari’s team at the Douglas Research Centre.

Together, we are building hope for mental health. To learn more about this announcement, click here.