This year, Bell Let’s Talk Day – the world’s biggest conversation about mental health – is taking place on January 26.
Bell’s commitment to support mental health is especially meaningful to me. Back in 2010, when Bell first announced its plans to support mental health initiatives, I wrote a post “Talking about unmentionables.” In that post, I observed that “I grew up on the grounds of a children’s psychiatric research institute in London, Ontario, the son of a child psychiatrist.” In a way, mental health is the family business. My father is a psychiatrist and two of my siblings are clinical psychologists. So you can understand why I am taking a little time to promote the day.
It’s pretty easy for everyone to show support, even if you aren’t a Bell customer, by using the “BellLetsTalk” hashtag on social media. Every call or text by Bell customers adds even more to Bell’s support of Canadian mental health programs.
On Bell Let’s Talk Day, Bell donates 5 cents to Canadian mental health programs for every applicable text, local or long distance call, tweet or TikTok video using #BellLetsTalk, every Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube view of the Bell Let’s Talk Day video, and every use of the Bell Let’s Talk Facebook frame or Snapchat lens.
Over the past 11 years, there have been 1.3 billion messages of support, generating $121,373,806.75 in total Bell funding. #BellLetsTalk has become the most-used Canadian hashtag of all time.
I support Bell Let’s Talk initiative without reservation, and I encourage you to do so as well.
Keep being there for your friends and colleagues, keep listening to them, and on January 26, click to Tweet a message with #BellLetsTalk .