Listening to a tribute to actor and comic Robin Williams on the CBC the other day, and hearing the many personal stories from sufferers, survivors, and sympathizers, it was amazing the profound sentiment that this virtual stranger's death could elicit. His tragic suicide earlier this week has undoubtedly evoked numerable reactions: shock; sadness; disbelief; empathy; nostalgia. From some: anger; disgust; judgement; disapproval - a gamut of human emotion.
Many of the emotions that were expressed by the callers to the show and in the media at large were ones I was feeling too. It reaffirmed for me just how prevalent and relevant issues pertaining to mental health are to all of us, and how silently so many people continue to suffer. Particularly in this week I have been thinking about my own stigmas surrounding mental illness; how I had avoided the topic for years for fear of being judged, more importantly for fear of my mother being judged, because of it. It reminded me to continue to speak out in memory of another vibrant, beautiful, charismatic, and brilliant person who, despite outward appearances, was suffering greatly inside - the woman I was lucky enough to call my mother; the woman who this campaign is inspired by.
I am deep in the midst of orchestrating Behind the Curtain, Taking off the Taboo's fundraising event in October, and to be honest, it has been both daunting and overwhelming. Event planning is not my area of expertise (nor is fundraising for something so personal my forte, as I have unfortunately discovered), and at times, the task of this has seemed insurmountable. Hearing the response and reaction around the world to Mr. Williams' suicide, and the conversation that has ensued from the mere fact of him being such a visible icon, has given me inspiration to continue with renewed vigor.
In that vein, I'm writing to provide an update on the progress of Taking Off The Taboo, and its grand event, Behind the Curtain.
After much reflection I have decided not to culminate this campaign in a trip around Australia, as originally planned. While it would have been a magnificent trip, for a number of reasons I have chosen to leave that on the back burner for now. Firstly, the trip was symbolic and incidental to the entire campaign - it would have been a fitting tribute to a great spirit, however was not necessary for this campaign to be a success. Secondly, from a timing perspective, there just don't seem to be enough hours in the day to plan not only the event, but the trip itself. As I'm sure you can appreciate, there is a lot of preparation (not to mention cost) involved in an undertaking like flying around a foreign country, and I simply will not have the time to do it. Instead I have decided to pay tribute in a different way to my mother; I will take the time allotted and volunteer my services in a way she would have approved of. The details are still to be finalized, but I am hoping to be able to volunteer in an educational capacity somewhere - an area she was passionate about.
As for Taking Off the Taboo's fundraising goals, I have decided to keep the $25,000 goal, despite not doing the trip that the amount represented - it seems as good a target as any! It is unlikely that this goal will be met by the original two year deadline, however I will keep my personal donation page open until it is, and continue to campaign where I can. I'm hoping to make Behind the Curtain an annual event, as I'm confident it will be an amazing experience for all involved!
And with that, my focus can be devoted entirely to Behind the Curtain, Taking Off the Taboo's event in support of the CMHA's Mental Health Week initiative. If you haven't had the opportunity to check out the event, do that now! It takes place October 16th, 2014 at the Gladstone Hotel on Queen St. W. in Toronto, and all proceeds from the event go to the Canadian Mental Health Association. With live musical performances by talented indie folk group The Morals, and featuring award-winning singer-songwriter Jory Nash, the musical portion of the evening will provide incredible entertainment. Mental health superhero and TedX presenter Alicia Raimundo will be sharing her inspirational story with the crowd, and local band Three Strung Up will showcase their unique sound to mingle to after the main show. Behind the Curtain will also feature exciting raffle and silent auction prizes for bid, and a photo booth to capture memories of the evening between performances. Included in the ticket price are light snacks, a $20 Uber Taxi gift certificate for first time Uber users, and a chance to win a pair of tickets to anywhere in North America that Air Canada flies, generously donated by the Air Canada Foundation. Many thanks to my event specialist friends at Managing Matters and the design team at Sherpa Creative, without whom this would not have been possible!
I'm very excited about this event, and hope that you will be able to make it. Tickets are on sale now by following the link below. Early Bird pricing is on now until September 4th, and stay tuned for special incentives for buying early!
For more information on the event, please join it on Facebook, follow it on Twitter, or stay tuned to this site for updates. Starting next week, I'll be giving more information on the performers, prizes, and other exciting details about the evening!
As usual, you can donate to the CMHA directly receive a tax receipt by following the link below.
Thank you again for your continued support of a worthy and relevant cause. Though Robin Williams' death was certainly a tragedy, I am in many ways thankful for the conversation that it sparked in popular media around the world. I hope that it has given people who are struggling, or know someone who is, the courage and the voice to speak out and stop the stigma. Mental health issues affect us all - please help take off the taboo surrounding them.
Many of the emotions that were expressed by the callers to the show and in the media at large were ones I was feeling too. It reaffirmed for me just how prevalent and relevant issues pertaining to mental health are to all of us, and how silently so many people continue to suffer. Particularly in this week I have been thinking about my own stigmas surrounding mental illness; how I had avoided the topic for years for fear of being judged, more importantly for fear of my mother being judged, because of it. It reminded me to continue to speak out in memory of another vibrant, beautiful, charismatic, and brilliant person who, despite outward appearances, was suffering greatly inside - the woman I was lucky enough to call my mother; the woman who this campaign is inspired by.
I am deep in the midst of orchestrating Behind the Curtain, Taking off the Taboo's fundraising event in October, and to be honest, it has been both daunting and overwhelming. Event planning is not my area of expertise (nor is fundraising for something so personal my forte, as I have unfortunately discovered), and at times, the task of this has seemed insurmountable. Hearing the response and reaction around the world to Mr. Williams' suicide, and the conversation that has ensued from the mere fact of him being such a visible icon, has given me inspiration to continue with renewed vigor.
In that vein, I'm writing to provide an update on the progress of Taking Off The Taboo, and its grand event, Behind the Curtain.
After much reflection I have decided not to culminate this campaign in a trip around Australia, as originally planned. While it would have been a magnificent trip, for a number of reasons I have chosen to leave that on the back burner for now. Firstly, the trip was symbolic and incidental to the entire campaign - it would have been a fitting tribute to a great spirit, however was not necessary for this campaign to be a success. Secondly, from a timing perspective, there just don't seem to be enough hours in the day to plan not only the event, but the trip itself. As I'm sure you can appreciate, there is a lot of preparation (not to mention cost) involved in an undertaking like flying around a foreign country, and I simply will not have the time to do it. Instead I have decided to pay tribute in a different way to my mother; I will take the time allotted and volunteer my services in a way she would have approved of. The details are still to be finalized, but I am hoping to be able to volunteer in an educational capacity somewhere - an area she was passionate about.
As for Taking Off the Taboo's fundraising goals, I have decided to keep the $25,000 goal, despite not doing the trip that the amount represented - it seems as good a target as any! It is unlikely that this goal will be met by the original two year deadline, however I will keep my personal donation page open until it is, and continue to campaign where I can. I'm hoping to make Behind the Curtain an annual event, as I'm confident it will be an amazing experience for all involved!
And with that, my focus can be devoted entirely to Behind the Curtain, Taking Off the Taboo's event in support of the CMHA's Mental Health Week initiative. If you haven't had the opportunity to check out the event, do that now! It takes place October 16th, 2014 at the Gladstone Hotel on Queen St. W. in Toronto, and all proceeds from the event go to the Canadian Mental Health Association. With live musical performances by talented indie folk group The Morals, and featuring award-winning singer-songwriter Jory Nash, the musical portion of the evening will provide incredible entertainment. Mental health superhero and TedX presenter Alicia Raimundo will be sharing her inspirational story with the crowd, and local band Three Strung Up will showcase their unique sound to mingle to after the main show. Behind the Curtain will also feature exciting raffle and silent auction prizes for bid, and a photo booth to capture memories of the evening between performances. Included in the ticket price are light snacks, a $20 Uber Taxi gift certificate for first time Uber users, and a chance to win a pair of tickets to anywhere in North America that Air Canada flies, generously donated by the Air Canada Foundation. Many thanks to my event specialist friends at Managing Matters and the design team at Sherpa Creative, without whom this would not have been possible!
I'm very excited about this event, and hope that you will be able to make it. Tickets are on sale now by following the link below. Early Bird pricing is on now until September 4th, and stay tuned for special incentives for buying early!
For more information on the event, please join it on Facebook, follow it on Twitter, or stay tuned to this site for updates. Starting next week, I'll be giving more information on the performers, prizes, and other exciting details about the evening!
As usual, you can donate to the CMHA directly receive a tax receipt by following the link below.
Thank you again for your continued support of a worthy and relevant cause. Though Robin Williams' death was certainly a tragedy, I am in many ways thankful for the conversation that it sparked in popular media around the world. I hope that it has given people who are struggling, or know someone who is, the courage and the voice to speak out and stop the stigma. Mental health issues affect us all - please help take off the taboo surrounding them.