Dedicated group

A letter to the editor published in today's edition of The Chronicle Herald:

I was touched by Heather Amos’s June 20 story subtitled "Mother: With no services to help her daughter, she’ll continue to run away," about Kim Clark and her daughter Koral Lynn [pictured].

I would like Ms. Clark to know that there is a dedicated group of community leaders who are volunteering their time to raise funds so that her daughter will have a place to heal and recover.

The Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia is in the early stages of our province’s first-ever capital campaign for mental health. The Opening Minds Capital Campaign is raising funds for the construction of new residences that will be home to individuals who have experienced a period of stability and are ready to begin their transition back into the community.

If you’ve driven down Pleasant Street in Dartmouth lately, you will have noticed a dramatic change in the skyline as Simpson Hall at the Nova Scotia Hospital site comes down to make way for these new residences.

We’re also creating a dedicated fund for mental health care programs throughout Nova Scotia so that patients have access to services and support closer to the place they live.

I would like to commend Ms. Clark for fighting for a better quality of life for her daughter and thank her for sharing her story.

Our group of volunteers is committed to a better quality of life for the one in five Nova Scotians who have a mental illness. For more information, visit www.mentalhealthns.ca.

Greg Grice, Regional President
Atlantic Provinces, RBC
Chair, Opening Minds Capital Campaign