Mental Wellness Matters: Ride, Don’t Hide

By KALLYN HEIDINGER on June 2, 2022.

After a busy month of May, the Canadian Mental Health Association – Alberta Southeast Region (CMHA-ASER) is gearing up for more activity in June! As we move into the summer months and nicer weather, we are excited to take advantage of the season and continue promoting mental wellness in our communities.

This year on Fathers Day, June 19, CMHA is partnering with Our Collective Journey to host Ride Don’t Hide. While CMHA brings comprehensive and educational mental health programming, OCJ offers the power of lived experience and recovery coaching. Together, the two organizations will shine a light and use Father’s Day to bring awareness to men’s mental health. All funds raised by this event will go directly back into the community through both CMHA-ASER and OCJ.

Ride Don’t Hide is an outdoor cycling event with the intention to move more, give back and cope better. This event takes place across Canada with various participating Canadian Mental Health Association regions. It is the largest mental health bike ride in Canada. More than ever before, people are not feeling like themselves and the pandemic has made it difficult for individuals to access the help they need. Ride Don’t Hide is a welcoming, inclusive event that brings together families, friends and the community. This is an event for all cycling levels and abilities.

Community members in the Southeast Region of Alberta are invited to participate in this event with CMHA-ASER and OCJ! To get involved, visit http://www.cmha.donordrive.com. Click on Find Your Community, then Southeast-Medicine Hat. At this page, individuals will be able to register their teams for free. The next step is raising funds for mental health in our local communities. Teams are encouraged to reach out to friends and family to support their ride. By visiting the Rider Centre on the website, riders can learn more about how to fundraise and engage the community. There will even be an exciting prize for the top fundraiser!

Lastly, on June 19, join both organizations by kicking off your ride at the Medicine Hat Towne Square in the morning. Choose your own leisurely ride through Strathcona Park or challenge yourself to ride up to Badlands Training Centre. After the ride, meet back at Towne Square in the afternoon for food trucks, live music, a resource centre and stories of personal experience.

Kallyn Heidinger is the Community Helpers Program Coordinator at Canadian Mental Health Association, Alberta Southeast Region and can be reached at 403-504-1811 ext. 115. To find out more about CMHA programs and/or events visit http://www.cmha-aser.ca. If you are in crisis, call the Distress Centre at (403) 1-800-784-2433

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