I know it's not August 6th yet, but this just couldn't wait. If you've been following my blog for the past 5 years, you'd know that August 6th is an extreemly important date for me. I call it a Celebration of Life Day, in honor of my big brother, James', birthday. 5 years ago my brother passed away. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him. But I made the promise that from here on out I would celebrate is birthday and not the day he passed. And on his birthday, I also made a promise to myself, that I will do everything I can to get the word out and support Mental Illness Awarenesses.
Even if Mental Illness doesn't directly affect you, it affects everyone around you. The one thing I ask you to do is not to judge anyone, as you don't know their story, and you've never walked in their shoes. And at the end of the day, tell the ones you love the most how important they are to you.
~ $25,000 fundraising campaign to raise awareness for mental illness gearing up
Calgary small business entrepreneurs are showing up with generosity, compassion and willingness to advocate and open up the conversation around mental illness.

Catherine Tkach of Cat’s Eye Vintage & More and Karri Egan of The Hot Yoga Lounge are working with Horbachewski, to create a sea of blue.
Cat’s Eye Vintage & More will be hosting a BLUE Sale event from 2:00pm – 6:00 p.m., with 20% off everything in the store and 20% being donated to GB4U. Snacks, entertainment, and a table featuring BLUESock Dolls, created by Horbachewski’s 12 year old daughter and her friend will be available.

Other entrepreneurs have been making blue waves with campaigns, and initiatives to raise funds and create conversation for mental illness.
Kim Page Gluckie of MPowered Marketing shared this masterful insight: Going Blue 4 U: A Philanthropic Study in Success.

Linda Kiernan, created a SOLD out private screening of I AM at Self Connection Books on Sunday July 22, 2012 in 3 days, raising $590.00.
Jaclyn Olsen of Diffusion Solutions has created a Dream Big – Believe in Better Series event with her donations as a speaker benefiting GB4U. If Jaclyn’s friends donate $1000 by August 15th she will dye a strip of her hair blue.
“I’m thrilled to say that $3,838 has bee raised to date and we have met our first milestone of producing a video by Calgary based storystudio.tv which will be key in spreading this life-saving message” says Horbachewski. “We are off to a great start, but additional funds are required to ensure the success of the 2012 campaign.”
Mental Illness impacts 1 in 5 Canadians (20% of the population)
- According to the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 43.3% of Albertans believe depression is a weakness.
- Age with the highest rate of depression symptoms: Under 20 years of age
- Every 4 minutes, a call for help is received, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at Distress Centre
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24-Hour Crisis Line: 403.266.HELP (4357 |
About Lee Horbachewski
Lee Horbachewski is an author, speaker and certified coach with a deep passion for serving and empowering others to shine bright and steady. Lee has been featured on Global TV, CTV, ET Canada, The Calgary Herald, and MetroNews. She was featured as one of Mompreneur Magazine’s (2009) top 5 Mompreneurs in Canada and is a spokesperson for the Distress Centre in Calgary and the founder of Going Blue 4 U. To see her full story click here for the video.
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