CMHA excited for the togetherness its golf tourney will bring

By KELLEN TANIGUCHI on July 6, 2021.

ktaniguchi@medicinehatnews.com@@kellentaniguchi

The Canadian Mental Health Association of Alberta Southeast Region is set to hit the links Aug. 12 for its third annual CMHA Golf Tournament for Mental Health after COVID-19 forced cancellation last year.

“I think just like everyone else in the country, and probably in the world, I’m so excited with the opportunity to be able to meet face to face with people and to interact and to connect,” said Sandra Milne, executive director of CMHA.

“It’s so important for our mental wellness to be able to have those interactions and connections with other people for sure. And then also getting outside to enjoy the fresh air, to have a little bit of exercise and to meet over a game of golf with some of your best friends or even your work mates, I’m so happy that we’re going to be able to do that going forward.”

Milne says the golf tournament is one of the organization’s major fundraisers, raising a fair amount of money to support the mental health programs in the area. With COVID-19 restrictions lifted, she says participants can also golf with whomever they like.

“It can be coworkers, it can be just friends, it can be people you don’t even know. We’ll accept somebody that signs up on their own and as long as they don’t mind, we’ll put them with other singles who are looking for people to golf with,” said Milne.

Money supports programs such as suicide prevention, youth mental health, recovery college, crisis intervention, permanent supportive housing and the new Hey Google, Keep in Touch program.

The Hey Google, Keep in Touch program started in April with two Google Assistants for residents at St. Joseph’s Homes to help with loneliness during the pandemic. Milne says the program has been a success and there are now 15 Google Assistants at LTC homes in the Hat.

“We started thinking, ‘What about all the other long-term care facilities and people who are isolated, not even just through COVID but on a regular basis because they’re not mobile necessarily?’ So, the Hey Google program has really kicked off. We’ve put about 15 Hey Googles out into the community and they’ve been really well received,” she said.

Funds from the tournament will also be used to allow the CMHA to offer its courses and workshops for free. Milne says they will be free to the community, professionals, teachers and anybody else who wants to take part.

“COVID has been really good in a way for us in that it’s really got the conversation rolling. People are talking about their loneliness, they are talking about depression, they are talking about isolation and how that’s affecting them … we’ve got the conversation started. I would hate to see the conversation stop,” she said.

To register for the golf tournament visit the CMHA Alberta Southeast Region’s website or email aser@cmha-aser.ca. Milne says it costs $600 to register a team of four – so, $150 per person. Registration includes lunch, dinner and entertainment.

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