The St. Thomas University men’s hockey team faced off against the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds at the Aitken Centre to support the sixth annual Bell Let’s Talk Day on Jan. 27.
Almost 3,000 hockey fans and supporters attended the game to help promote Bell Aliant’s initiative to engage conversation about mental health in Atlantic Canada.
UNB beat STU 8-2 but Katelynn Carver said it doesn’t matter who won the game.
“In the end the result doesn’t matter, the more important cause is Bell Let’s Talk,” said Carver.
Carver and her STU women’s basketball teammates were at the game and involved themselves in the event to raise money and awareness.
“We are helping out by giving hats, thunder sticks, and tattoos to all the fans watching STU and UNB duke it out tonight,” said Carver. “The more fans we bring in; the more awareness we will spread.”
Spokesperson for Bell Aliant Isabelle Boulet attended the STU vs UNB game and said their partnership with AUS has gone beyond what she had expected.
“Athletes, coaches, athletic directors have all embraced Let’s Talk Day,” she said.
Mental illness is an issue that affects many students and their peers, and suicides account for 24 per cent of all deaths among 15-24 year olds.
“By partnering up with Atlantic University Sport, Bell Let’s Talk is reaching student-athletes all across Atlantic Canada to encourage conversations about mental health,” said Dan McKeen, the Atlantic Bell Senior Vice President and Vice Chair.
“Increasing awareness and improving attitudes about mental health is the key to reducing the stigma around mental illness that keeps so many from seeking the need they help,” said McKeen.
Eleven AUS member universities along with their 2,200 student-athletes teamed up to support mental health on Bell Let’s Talk Day. Some athletes featured a video sharing their own mental heath stories. The video has been available conference-wide since Jan. 18 on the Bell Aliant FibreOP YouTube page.
Four AUS men’s hockey games in three provinces took place on Jan 27 in support of Bell Let’s Talk Day; Saint Mary’s Huskies visited the Dalhousie Tigers, St.FX X-Men visited the Acadia Axemen, Moncton Aigles Bleus visited the UPEI Panthers, and STU visited UNB.
“While competition and rivalry is the nature of sport, Bell Let’s Talk Day is a great opportunity for all our schools and teams to come together in support of mental health,” said AUS executive director Phil Currie. “The slogan we developed with Bell Aliant for this partnership is ‘One Team For Mental Health’ and that really encompasses what we are doing.”
During Bell Let’s Talk Day, every text message, wireless and long distance call made by Bell Aliant and Bell Canada customers, every tweet using #BellLetsTalk, and every Facebook share, Bell will donate five-cents to mental health programs.
Boulet said the AUS athletes have done so much towards awareness.
“Young athletes, younger than university athletes look up to them. If athletes are supporting a cause and spreading the message, kids look up to that, and that it’s ok to talk about mental health and mental awareness,” said Boulet.
