An annual awareness event for a national mental health charity is stopping in Kemptville on its way to Ottawa.
The eighth Canal Pursuit for Mental Health, a relay race from Port Severn to Parliament Hill supporting the Mood Disorders Society of Canada, began earlier this week.
“The Canal Pursuit for Mental Health is a 700 kilometre run roughly following the Trent Severn Canal from Port Severn to Trenton and then the Rideau Canal from Kingston to Ottawa,” explains North Grenville Corporate Media Relations Officer Jill Sturdy.
Runner and organizer Clay Williams, who is leading the relay team, says he hopes the event can encourage people struggling with their mental health to talk to someone they trust, and show that physical activity can help with some mood disorders.
“We all have an important role to play in removing the stigma around mental illness, so that people can feel comfortable reaching out to seek treatment,” Williams says.
According to Sturdy, Williams and his team will be stopping in Kemptville to speak with Mayor Nancy Peckford and the rest of council on their way to Ottawa.
They’ll be meeting at the B&H parking lot on the corner of Oxford and Rideau Streets, at 9:30 in the morning on Saturday, August 27th.