We raised a record breaking $537,000 this year!
We would like to thank the incredible work done by the organizing committee for making this event possible. Obviously, we couldn’t have raised this much without the generosity of our copresidents, our partners, our donors and all those who collaborated to the success of the evening. Thank you for supporting the Douglas Foundation and helping us to fulfill our mission.
Together, we are building hope for all those who suffer from mental health problems and their families.
By participating in Open Minds you will become part of the solution.
Slip into your favourite jeans and most comfortable shoes and eat, drink and dance the night away all the while helping to raise funds for the Douglas – the second largest research centre of its kind in Canada.
When ?
When ?
Thursday, February 18th, 2021 at 6:30 p.m.
Where ?
Where ?
** Virtual evening at your home **
Animation
Animation
Live performance by DJ Jojo Flores on Youtube
Caterer
Caterer
Meal takeout at Ristorante Beatrice
Sponsorship
Find out about sponsorship opportunities by consulting our partnership plan.
We are able to raise funds efficiently thanks to the generosity of our sponsors.
Get involved
Please contact us if you are interested in being a sponsor.
Justine Delit, 514-762-3003 or [email protected]
Gold
Silver
Bronze
CO-PRESIDENTS
Olivier Desmarais, Chairman and CEO of Power Sustainable Capital
Adriana Embiricos Coumoundouros, Consultant
Mark Smith, President, Pandion Investments Ltd
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Louise Chagnon-Bucheit, Caroline Dillon, Susan Doherty, Jill Drummond, Marisa Giannetti, Alicia Hamilton, Sabine Korzenietz, Leena Lakdawala, Marion Lefebvre-Buchanan, Yolanda Page, Michèle Plourde, Isabelle Roberge, Aphrodite Salas, Pam Salzman, Nancy Simard, Jeannie Vondjidis. Sarah Ivory, President of the Organizing Committee
The Douglas Foundation
The Douglas Mental Health University Institute is the psychiatric teaching hospital of the McGill University network and is part of the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux (CIUSSS) de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal. It offers state-of-the-art treatments, often unique in Quebec. Its teams constantly develop scientific knowledge, integrate it into patient care and share it with the community to raise awareness and reduce stigma surrounding mental illness.
The role of the Foundation
Created in 1972, the Douglas Foundation’s mission is to fund the development of the Douglas Institute: patient care and their environment, neuroscience and mental health research, as well as education and training.
Some facts about mental health:
- Nearly one in five Quebecers (20%) will be personally affected by mental illness during their lifetime. Yet, less than half of people with mental illness consult a professional. (Institut national de santé publique du Québec).
- The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that by 2020, depression will be the second leading cause of illness and disability at work, after cardiovascular disease.
- In Canada, 747,000 people have Alzheimer’s disease or another cognitive disease (140,000 Quebecers). Within 15 years, 1.4 million people will have it. Three out of four Canadians know someone with a cognitive illness. (Federation of Quebec Alzheimer Societies)
- Less than 4% of medical research funding is devoted to research into mental illness, although the number of Canadians who will be diagnosed with mental illness in their lifetime is 20%.
