Take A Hike Foundation Receives Donation Boost from Paper Excellence
Today is Giving Tuesday and donations made to Take a Hike Foundation’s program to help students struggling with mental health challenges will be getting a boost from Paper Excellence, the owner of Catalyst Crofton pulp and paper mill.
The company has provided Take a Hike Foundation with $50,000 as a matching gift for Giving Tuesday.
The foundation opened its first classroom in Vancouver in 2000 and has recently expanded to Vancouver Island help vulnerable students in Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Stz’uminus, the Cowichan Valley, Saanich and Sooke.
CEO Gordon Matchett says they’re grateful for the continued support of Paper Excellence and says the funding will provide uninterrupted mental health and well-being support to youth.
The foundation says prior to the pandemic began, 1 in 7 young people in BC had one or more mental health disorders, but recent studies show 2 out of 3 young people now experience mental health issues.
Take a Hike Foundation works in partnership with school districts to provide youth with a full-time mental health and emotional well-being program embedded in an alternate education classroom.
The foundation says 78% of youth in the program last year felt they were better able to cope with mental health challenges, 77% experienced feelings of connection and belonging, and 82% felt they had developed the skills and knowledge needed to acheive their goals and prepare for the future.