Fundraising and collaborations
What began as personal experience grew into a mission to create meaningful change.
Through fundraising, advocacy, and collaboration, this work brings together community, creativity, and compassion to support stronger, more accessible mental health services.
Working through lived experience
After years of supporting individuals and families directly, I became increasingly aware of the systemic gaps in mental health services across the Simcoe County region. Families were waiting too long for support. Youth were falling through the cracks. Community organizations were stretched beyond capacity.
I knew individual programming was important, but sustainable change would require advocacy, awareness, and resources.
That year, I became relentless in advocating for stronger, more accessible mental health supports in our region. I joined the Development Committee at Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care, contributing to strategic fundraising and community engagement efforts designed to expand services and reduce stigma. I was also honoured to be featured in Waypoint’s Have Hope campaign, sharing my lived experience publicly to help normalize conversations around mental illness and recovery.
Speaking openly was intentional. For me, advocacy means pairing vulnerability with action.
At the same time, I began channeling my entrepreneurial energy into grassroots fundraising initiatives designed to mobilize the community in creative, engaging ways.
I founded three distinct campaigns: 1) Move it for Young Minds, 2) Home Sweet Home, and 3) Mullet or Trim Campaign.
Move It for Young Minds
A movement-based fundraising initiative that encouraged individuals and teams to get active while raising funds for youth mental health programs. The campaign emphasized the connection between physical movement, mental wellness, and collective action. This fundraising event ran for four years, with the final event in 2018.
Home Sweet Home
A community-driven live auction event featuring contractors, tradespeople, and home decor items. This initiative brings together local businesses, families, and service providers to strengthen community-based support. The event is still running and you can check it out by clicking here.
March in for a Mullet or Trim
A bold, conversation-starting campaign inspired by the growing global movement linking mullets in March to mental health fundraising. By blending humour, courage, and community spirit, the campaign creates space to reduce stigma while raising meaningful funds. The event is still running and you can check it out by clicking here.
Combined efforts > the sum of its parts
Across these initiatives, collaboration was key. Local businesses, volunteers, stylists, youth, and families stepped forward with generosity and creativity. Together, we have raised more than $300,000 in support of mental health programming in Simcoe County.
What drives this work is simple: community connection is one of our strongest protective factors.
Advocacy is not just about speaking up. It is about mobilizing people, building partnerships, and creating opportunities for everyone to participate in the solution.
This chapter of my journey reinforced a belief that continues to guide my work: when we combine courage, creativity, and collective action, we can strengthen the systems that support our most vulnerable community members and move closer to a future where mental health care is accessible, compassionate, and stigma-free.
Here are some of the wonderful organizations I’ve had the opportunity to work with:
