Music for the Mind Fundraiser

Some of you already know me, some of you may not. My name is Elisha Banks. I am the founder of the Music for the Mind fundraiser. However, I am not just the person who created a fundraiser that supports our local Mental Health Unit, I am also a mental health survivor and a previous patient on the Unit. I have been a patient on that Unit twice with the most recent being in 2019. I have been diagnosed with Bipolar 2, Borderline Personality Disorder, Depression, and a Generaliz...ed Anxiety Disorder. Sadly, I have struggled with mental health issues most of my life as I started to show signs of depression at 13 and, over those years, I almost lost my battle with my mental health twice. But, I am still here and I am trying to use my own experiences, as hard as they are, to help others in need and to make a difference for the patients who tragically do not have the things they need or the support of loved ones. My hope is that this fundraiser will show these patients that they are not alone, that they have a whole community standing behind them, a whole community who cares about them. Moreover, I also use this fundraiser as a platform to openly talk about mental health in hopes of creating change in our community and addressing the stigma around mental health. As well as in hopes that it will encourage others to share their own mental health stories one day and let those who are silently struggling know they are not alone. So, as we begin fundraising for the 3rd Annual Music for the Mind fundraiser, and me and my team put in countless hours to raise money or collect supply donations for the CKHA Inpatient Mental Health Unit, just remember the why behind this cause. Why do we do what we do? We do it for anyone who may one day find themselves in a mental health crisis, who will arrive on the Unit with nothing more than the clothing on their backs, who will be feeling alone and at their absolute worst. One day we may be doing it for you, a loved one, a coworker, or a neighbour. But just know, you have the whole M4M team and one hell of an amazing community on your side and we will be there to help!!! #musicforthemind #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #endthestigma (A great big thank you to my friend and talented photographer John Lyons for donating his time and talent to take this picture)

Almost 30 years of battling mental health issues, almost 30 years of battling my own mind, suicidal thoughts, overwhleming anxiety, and enduring countless depressive episodes, years of secretly turning to self-harm as a way to cope with the intense emotional pain I was feeling, many frustrating trial and errors with different medications to try and find something that would work, 2 hospital admissions to the Inpatient Mental Health Unit, and 4 different mental health diagnose...s. This is mental health. The real, raw reality of mental health that many people, like myself, experience every day but often don't speak about out loud because of the stigma around it. Unfortunately, many people still find mental health issues to be scary and they want to silence conversations around this topic rather than put any light on it that would actually draw attention to it. But I will keep talking about my own mental health journey and will share my story. I will shine light on a topic shrouded in darkness, I will be the voice for the voiceless, for the 1 in 5 who are struggling silently. I will share my story in hopes it will become someone else's survival guide and help others to know they are not alone. I am here! I see you! You matter! Your life matters! And if you are struggling, please reach out to someone for help...a friend, a family member, a counselor, call a crisis line, go to the emergency room to talk to a crisis nurse, or call 911. Just please don't stop reaching out because someone will be there to listen!!! "I wish it wasn't 'brave' to talk about mental health. I wish it was just called 'talking.' "- Unknown #bellletstalkday #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters

Thanks to the generous donation of $551 from El Guapo Taco, I was able to purchase 108 pairs of pajama bottoms for the patients on the Inpatient Mental Health Unit. Thank you so much El Guapo Taco and everyone who supported the taco fundraiser for helping to make this donation possible.

I would like to take a moment out of these hectic holiday filled days to thank Mandy Jacobs-Protopapas, owner of All Kindz Of Kopies, for her very generous and kind donation of 108 t-shirts for the CKHA Inpatient Mental Health Unit. Using a donation from another donor, I had purchased 108 pairs of pajama bottoms but they did not come with sleep shirts. So I reached out to Mandy and asked if she could order some shirts in bulk. I was prepared to pay for the shirts as well but when it came time to pay she said that she was going to donate them at no cost. I am so grateful for local businesses like this who are willing to support this great cause and, in turn, the patients who are in need.

I have had several people ask if they can still donate supplies to the Unit even if they are not attending the Armouries Halloween Light Show. The answer is ABSOLUTELY!!!! If you would like to donate supplies from the list on the poster, I can pick them up or they can be dropped off at my house between now and October 30th, and I will add them to the donations collected at the light show.

If you are going to the Halloween Light Show at the Armouries on any day between October 24-30th, some of us from the Music for the Mind team will be there collecting supplies for the CKHA Inpatient Mental Health Unit. If you are able to bring an item(s) from the list below to donate, your donation will be helping a patient on the Unit who is homeless or who does not have any family or friends to bring them the things they need. These patients are already struggling with their mental health and feeling alone, your donation will show them that they have a whole community who cares and is standing behind them. Thank you in advance for your support!

I picked up another amazing donation of supplies today. My friend took it upon herself to start a collection drive in her hometown of Dresden and many people kindly stepped up and made this generous donation possible. Thank you so much Heather Bedell for organizing this and to everyone who donated items!! Your support and donations are greatly appreciated and will help many patients in need during their time on the CKHA Inpatient Mental Health Unit.

And the kindness just keeps on flowing!!! Thank you to my cousin who generously donated these supplies to the CKHA Inpatient Mental Health Unit. She is not able to attend the Halloween Light Show but still wanted to make a contribution to the supply drive.

Was excited to be able to see what amazing things are happening at St. Clair College this week during Mental Health Awareness Week, including a supply drive for the CKHA Inpatient Mental Health Unit. Well done to the staff and students who are doing their part to bring much needed awareness around the importance of mental health and self care, especially during these very challenging times.

And the winners are.... Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to everyone who bought tickets, sold tickets, and shared posts about the draw over the past month. A total of 1074 tickets were sold!!!! You all helped to make this fundraising event a BIG success!!! Thank you for your support!!

Working on filling out the ballots tonight (thankfully I have been filling them out as I go). Thank you to everyone who has bought tickets for the prize draw!! So far 1028 tickets have been sold and I have a few people who have requested tickets so that number could go up!!! If you want tickets, I have extended the deadline until Monday at 2pm to get them. The draw will take place Monday evening. Thank you for your support! #musicforthemind

Only 2 more days to get your tickets to win one of four awesome prizes while helping to support the CKHA Inpatient Mental Health Unit. The prizes are: Prize 1: Weber 3-Burner Propane Gas BBQ and $100 Lenovers gift card (BBQ comes with free assembly at Home Depot) Prize 2: Yeti Tundra 35 Hard Cooler, $100 LCBO gift card, $50 Sons of Kent gift card, and 10 free bags of ice from Home Hardware... Prize 3: Ultimate Ears Boom 3 + Power Up Portable Bluetooth Speaker (waterproof and floats), Yeti Tumbler, and $50 Sons of Kent gift card Prize 4: $150 cash prize and a Red Barn Brewing Company Taste and Tour package for 2 (including 2 hats, 2 shirts, and 2 glasses) They are $10 per ticket or 3 tickets for $20 All proceeds are being donated to the CKHA Inpatient Mental Health Unit. If you are interested in buying tickets please message me by August 30th and I will get you your ticket numbers. The draw will take place on August 31st. You can etransfer to: [email protected] Password: musicforthemind Thank you for your support!

Originally, it was my plan to do the Bottle and Can Drive until August 31st but, with the great support this fundraising event has been receiving, I have decided to continue to collect empties until the beginning of February. Since starting the Bottle and Can Drive in June, I have have been blown away by how many people from our community have reached out to me to generously donate their empties to this great cause. To date, I have collected empties from within the following... communities: Chatham Blenheim Tilbury Kent Bridge Louisville Tupperville Wallaceburg Dover Centre Deal Town Merlin Erieau Ridgetown Dresden Leamington It is because of this incredible show of support that the Bottle and Can Drive has been the great success that it is. So, thank you so much to everyone who has generously donated their empties to this fundraiser over the past three months. Also, thank you to those who have also helped to spread the word about the Bottle and Can Drive. I am very grateful for the help and support!! If you are willing to continue to save your empties going forward over the next few months, I would greatly appreciate it!! Just shoot me a message when you have empties that you want me to pick up. Thank you in advance!

I want to share something moving that was shared with me today by a staff member that works on the Inpatient Mental Health Unit. But before I do, I need to explain a little bit about what challenges they are experiencing so you understand the conversation better. As most of you already know, long before this virus existed, the Inpatient Mental Health Unit has relied on donations from the community to help them provide supplies for the patients who do not have family or friend...s to bring them the things that they need. These patients rely solely on the hospital to provide for them during their time on the unit. However, since the virus began, the units inventory has been under a great deal of strain as they have had to provide all the supplies (daily hygiene, clothing, undergarments, activities to pass the time, etc.) for ALL the patients for the past several months due to the visitor restrictions. As a result, the unit has been experiencing a constant outflow of supplies in order to ensure that all patients have what they need. Well, today I met up with Deb Watterworth, who is the Mental Health Rehabilitation Specialist on the Inpatient Mental Health Unit, to drop off some items for the unit. It was during that time that she told me how grateful everyone on the unit has been for the donations they received and that it has been those donations that have greatly helped the unit through this very difficult time. She told me that she didnt know what they would have done if they would not have had those donations and that without them "the unit would have been in crisis." I wanted to share this with you for two reasons. One, so you know how much your kindness, generosity, and support is appreciated by the staff who work on the unit. And two, so you could see the incredible difference your donations have made for so many people. When we make a donation to something, it is not too often that we ever really know the impact it will have. I hope this post helps you to see just how impactful your donations have been. So, thank you, to all of you, for your ongoing support and for being willing to stand behind this great cause!!! None of this would be possible without you!! You should be very proud knowing the difference you are helping to make for others and for our community.

Ticket sales for the prize draw have been going very well so far. But I have decided to add an incentive to keep the ticket sales going. For those who help to sell tickets, your name will be added into a draw where you have the chance to win a $100 cash prize. For example, if you sell 10 tickets, you will have 10 entries. All you have to do is reach out to your family, friends, neighbours, and co-workers to see if they want a chance to win one of 4 awesome prizes while also ...helping to support a really great cause. If they want tickets, there are two options: 1) They can message me on here and tell me who told them about the tickets and I will add your enteries into the draw, OR 2) You can message me the names of those who want tickets and how many they want and I will then add your entries into the draw. Please note: Before your entries are entered into the draw all tickets must be paid for first. Thank you :) The winner will be drawn on August 31st!!

As another way to help raise money for the CKHA Inpatient Mental Health Unit I am doing a Prize Draw. Tickets go on sale starting today and the winning tickets will be drawn on August 31st. If you would like to purchase tickets just message me and I will let you know your ticket numbers (I can also send you a screenshot of your tickets if you would like). There are 4 great prizes to be won: Prize 1: Weber 3-Burner Propane Gas BBQ and $100 Lenovers gift card (BBQ comes with ...free assembly at Home Depot) Prize 2: Yeti Tundra 35 Hard Cooler, $100 LCBO gift card, $50 Sons of Kent gift card, and 10 free bags of ice from Home Hardware Prize 3: Ultimate Ears Boom 3 + Power Up Portable Bluetooth Speaker (waterproof and floats), Yeti Tumbler, and $50 Sons of Kent gift card Prize 4: $150 cash prize and a Red Barn Brewing Company Taste and Tour package for 2 (including 2 hats, 2 shirts, and 2 glasses) $10 per ticket or 3 tickets for $20 All proceeds are being donated to the CKHA Inpatient Mental Health Unit You can etransfer money to: [email protected] Password: musicforthemind Thank you for your support!! Please share!! :)

The mental health issues related to our lockdown and pandemic are hard for everyone right now but especially hard for people with depression. A 24 hour helpline is here so please reach out for help if needed: 1-866-299-7447 (Chatham-Kent) or Text HOME to 686868

I would like to take a moment to say a big thank you to everyone who has generously donated their empties to the Music for the Mind Bottle and Can Drive over the past two months. So many people have reached out to me since I started it, including the owners of the Centro restaurant, who just recently donated their restaurant empties. It is so wonderful when a local business steps up and helps to support a local cause. Thank you so much to the owners of Centro for your donatio...n and ongoing support. It is greatly appreciated. I have said it before and I will say it again, this community is without a doubt made up of some of the most giving people who are always willing to step up and show their support to a really great cause. Thank you for your support and help in making this fundraising event a success so far. I am still collecting empties for the Bottle and Can Drive so please keep saving your empties and when you have some for me to pick up, just shoot me a message. Thank you in advance! :) See more

Koozies for a Cause: To continue to help raise money for the CKHA Inpatient Mental Health I am selling these Music for the Mind koozies. They are perfect for your summer drinks and when you purchase one you will be helping to support a really great cause. All koozies are $5 each. If you would like to purchase one just message me and I will make arrangements to get it to you. You can pay for them in cash or you can etransfer the money to [email protected]. Thank you in advance for your support.

So many thank yous need to go out tonight! The first one goes out to my friend and the owner of the Bowl of Cream, Jen O Nicklas, for generously donating $2,050 to the Music for the Mind fundraiser. I cannot even begin to adequately express my gratitude and appreciation to her for being willing to do the Sundae Funday event to help raise money for our CKHA Inpatient Mental Health Unit. But, thank you so very much Jen, this donation is so amazing!!! Second, thank you so much ...to everyone who came out today and bought ice cream and helped to support this great cause. Your incredible generosity and support helped to make this happen!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I would also like to take a moment and thank all the staff who work on the Inpatient Mental Health Unit who came out today and bought ice cream. It is really amazing how they just continue to go above and beyond. This fundraiser is for their unit and yet they still continue to step up and show their ongoing support. The Inpatient Mental Health Unit has some of the most giving, compassionate, and kind-hearted staff. And, last, I would like to thank everyone who took the time to share the flyer on Facebook and helped to spread the word about the event. I greatly appreciated your help and support as well. It was definitely a team effort that helped to make this fundraising event the big success that it was!!! See more

What a beautiful day for an ice cream!! Come get a delicious summer treat at the Glasshouse. Bowl of Cream is here till 3pm. Enter through the Greenhouse but if you have any trouble finding it just ask a staff member. Sunday is a perfect day for a sundae!! :)

Today is the big day!!! Come on out to the Glasshouse between 1-3pm and buy a delicious sundae or kiddie cone and help support a great cause! All proceeds are being donated by Bowl of Cream to the CKHA Inpatient Mental Health Unit. This is a perfect Sunday summer activity!! Hope to see you there!!

For those who were wanting to come out and buy a sundae or kiddie cone on Sunday, June 28th to help support this great cause, the location has been changed to the Glasshouse. Hope to see you there! Please share! :)

If you have any empties that you want to donate to this great cause, please contact me.

On June 28th from 1-3pm when you purchase a sundae or kiddie cone from Bowl of Cream you will be helping to support our local Mental Health Unit. So please come on out to Kingston Park, grab yourself a delicious treat, and help support a great cause. Hope to see you there!

Hello all! Just wanted to give you an update on the Music for the Mind Fundraiser, and give you some information about our new Bottle and Can Drive. If you have any questions, dont hesitate to ask! And, if you are able to donate your bottles and cans to our Bottle and Can Drive to help us raise money for the CKHA Inpatient Mental Health Unit, please just let me know. Your contribution will be greatly appreciated :)

Heyy guys, I just wanted to create a video so I could do a quick mental health check in and see how everyone is doing, as well as to let you know about the 3 Week Wellness Challenge I am running starting on June 1st. The first 50 people to comment below will get to participate in the challenge and have a chance to win a YETI Roadie 20 Hard Cooler (a $253 value). CMHA Mental Health First Response Team- 1-866-299-7447

Thank you to the Chatham Maroon Old Timers Hockey team for their very generous donation of clothing, journals, and other supplies made to the Inpatient Mental Health Unit today. One of the team members, who is a friend of mine, saw a post I made on my personal Facebook page asking for mens PJ bottoms and jogging pants and, in turn, reached out to his teammates to see what they could do. Together they took my request and turned it into this amazing donation. It is so great to see that members of our community are continuing to step up and support the Inpatient Mental Health Unit long after the Music for the Mind fundraising event has ended. Chatham-Kent is definitely made up of some very generous people! Way to go Chatham Maroon Oldtimers!!

I am excited to announce that the date for the second annual Music for the Mind event has been set. It will be on Saturday, February 6th, 2021. The event will also be held at the venue, The Kent, again. I look forward to teaming up with the owners, Michael and Melanie Fry, in preparation for next years event. They made my job as the event organizer so much easier this year. They went above and beyond to ensure that everything ran smoothly with regards to the bands, they pai...d close attention to the details, and took care of all the behind the scenes stuff so that, as the event organizer, I didnt have to worry about anything and could just focus on the things that I needed to do. On top of all of this, they also made a generous donation to the Inpatient Mental Health Unit. Plus, The Kent is such a beautiful venue with killer acoustics which is perfect for a concert type event. So, choosing to partner up with The Kent again for next year was a no brainer!! The details are in the works so keep your eyes open for updates along the way, including when ticket sales open up! It is going to be another great event that you wont want to miss out on!! I know I cant wait for it!! :)

Thank you to everyone for all your congratulations and positive words for me and my amazing team of volunteers. They are greatly appreciated!! Thank you again for all your support throughout the past 5 months and for all your hard work and generous donations that helped make this fundraiser a success. Our community may be small but we are mighty and it is full of people who are willing to step up to make a difference when there is a need. While my team and I are proud of our accomplishments, I do hope that all of you are proud as well. You played an integral part in helping to make a difference for the Inpatient Mental Health Unit and for our community.

Today the donation of $30,000 was not the only donation that was made. But, first, a back story...awhile back, I told you about the staff wanting to make renovations to the unit to help transform it into a more therapeutic environment that promotes healing. They wanted to be able to paint the unit but only received enough paint to paint three walls. A few months ago, after brainstorming this problem with friends, I decided to reach out to our local The Home Depot and shared t...he staffs vision for the unit, the importance of the renovations from the perspective of a patient, and limitations they faced due to funding. Home Depot was moved by their initiative and were quick to jump on board to help any way they could. Last week they submitted a request to their Funding Team on behalf of the unit and that request was approved. As a result, Home Depot will be donating a $1,000 gift card so that they can purchase between 20-25 gallons of paint so that they can continue to work towards achieving their vision for the unit. Thank you so much to Home Depot for all your help to make this happen, your willingness to support your local hospital is another great example of the generosity and support of our amazing community. See more

Drum roll please....the total amount raised for the Inpatient Mental Health unit was $30,000. The success of this fundraiser is thanks to this very generous community. Thank you to all of you for your incredible support for this great cause. I am beyond grateful!!! Keep your eyes open for the date of next years event!!!

The big day...the moment that brings all the hard work over the past 5 months together. I am very excited to get to present the cheque and reveal the total amount raised to the staff on the Inpatient Mental Health unit this afternoon.

After the final announcement of the total, there won't be much in the way of posts on here. However, this page is where the date of next year's event and the line up of the bands will be announced. I will also be posting here when ticket sales open up. At times, I am also going to be posting pictures of the things that your money has helped the staff to buy for the unit. It is a great way to show you the difference you have made for the staff and the patients.

Super excited to say that the cheque will be presented to the staff on the Inpatient Mental Health unit on Wednesday, February 26th!! :)

After the final announcement of the total, there wont be much in the way of posts on here. However, this page is where the date of next years event and the line up of the bands will be announced. I will also be posting here when ticket sales open up. At times, I am also going to be posting pictures of the things that your money has helped the staff to buy for the unit. It is a great way to show you the difference you have made for the staff and the patients.

After the last story that ran in the Chatham Daily News, I have had more people over the weekend, who heard about the event after the fact, ask if they could make a financial donation. Ultimately, while we do want to do the cheque presentation to the unit as soon as possible and be able to announce it publicly, we want to make sure all donations have been collected and included in the final total. The whole objective of this fundraiser is to be able to give the Inpatient Ment...al Health Unit as much money as possible and we still have donations being made this week, the last one coming in on Thursday. This is super exciting news that money is still being donated even after the event has ended and while I know that it is putting off the announcement of the total, it is for a really great reason. The details for the reveal are in the works and before the end of the week, I will be able to announce the date in which we will be presenting the cheque to the staff on the unit. So stay tuned for the date!! Thank you all for your patience and understanding! :) See more

Part of running an event is, after it is over, to take time to step back and reflect on it, to learn about what worked and what didnt so that the next years event can be even better. So, I am reaching out to those who attended the event on the 7th for feedback. What worked? What didnt? What did you like? What would you take away? Your input is very much appreciated.

Update on the announcement of the total raised. I am not keeping all of you in suspense for dramatic effect, I swear!!! :) There are a few donation cheques we are waiting to receive that were made after the event. Also, the financial person from Foundations is away until Tuesday. I am really hoping that we can do the reveal next week but please keep in mind that there are a few variables that are out of my control. I will definitely keep you posted!

There is something pretty cool about seeing the Music for the Mind logo on the guitar of one of the Walkin 47 band members. To think that 5 months ago the logo was just in the works of being created and now it sits displayed on the guitar of one of the bands who played the night of the event. Oh how far things have come in such a short period of time! Thank you Brian Cox for sharing this picture. The M4M logo looks so awesome! I love it! :)

More great photos that I have received and some really amazing action shots. So many of these pictures were taken by the very talented photographer, Melissa Doyle, who donated to her time that night. Thank you again Melissa! :)

I apologize for the thanks coming in sporatically, I still have been quite busy as I wrap up the event up and a lot of it keeps me away from the computer. But I want to make sure everyone gets the thanks they deserve. I want to take the time now to thank all of you who supported this great cause over the past 5 months by attending the Boston Pizza Celebrity Night, participating in the online silent auction, buying tickets to the Bingo Charity Night, and purchasing 50/50 tickets. Through all these events, we were able to get closer and closer to reaching our financial goal for the Inpatient Mental Health unit. So thank you again!

I know that there are many people anxiously waiting for the announcement of the final amount raised. I am hoping to meet up with Foundations next week so final numbers can be crunched. Once we have presented the cheque to the staff on the Inpatient Mental Health unit, we will then be announcing it to the public. I am very excited to be able to announce it soon! :)

Thank you to everyone who bought a music note in honour of a loved one the night of the event. The banner and the names of those loved ones are now hanging up on the Inpatient Mental Health unit.

Congratulations to the 50/50 ticket winner Lynn Gutteridge!! Thank you for purchasing tickets and helping to support this great cause! :)