Media Release:
Alumni of Distinction Recipient Donates $50,000 to Support Mental Health In Motion at Mohawk College
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Hamilton, ON: Mohawk College’s Mental Health in Motion program has received a $50,000 donation from Hansell Consulting Group Inc. and Brian J. Hansell, a 2017 Mohawk Alumni of Distinction recipient.
Mental Health in Motion is a program that encourages students to become champions for positive mental health. The students act as ambassadors and leaders and are there to assist their peers who may be hesitant to reach out for support through counselling services.
Brian Hansell is a graduate of Mohawk’s Business Administration program, class of 1983. He founded Hansell Consulting Group Inc. in 2014. The firm aims to shift employer thinking around workplace benefits by offering wellness-based solutions that focus on lowering benefit costs and increasing productivity. The firm is the first of its kind in Canada.
Brian is also the founder of the Paul Hansell Foundation. The foundation is named in honour of Brian’s son Paul, who died by suicide in 2010. Brian’s commitment to mental health awareness has been widely recognized. Recently, he was awarded the Champion of Mental by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health. Brian was also named one of Canada’s 150 Difference Makers and was recognized as a leader in workplace mental health by the Great West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace.
QUOTES:
“We are delighted to support Mohawk College and specifically the Mental Health in Motion program. Our long-held belief; we need to support todays youth through connected dialogues, peer to peer is essential. Mental Health is a good thing, we all have it. Feelings of stress, anxiety and “depression” in limited doses over short periods of time are healthy and just part of life. Prolonged periods can lead serious mental and/or physical health conditions. For us, PEER means; Person First, Empathy, Engaged and Respect. Mental Health in Motion certainly caries these attributes.”
“Brian Hansell’s donation to Mohawk’s Mental Health in Motion program will support the work our faculty, staff and students are doing to break down stigma and barriers related to mental health and to promote positive mental health on campus.”
Fast Facts:
- Mental Health in Motion was launched in 2015 as part of Bell Let’s Talk Day.
- The program was developed in house by a small team of faculty and staff from Counselling Services.
- There are about 60 student ambassadors and 6 leaders who volunteer their time with Mental Health in Motion.
- The Paul Hansell Foundation was created to promote mental health and emotional well-being. The foundation is well known for launching the #ConvoPlate campaign.
- #Convoplates are hand-painted stoneware plates that are circulated in the community. The goal is to get people talking about mental health and break the stigma associated with it. Each plate is different and was created by a member of the community with their own special message and meaning.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jay Robb
Director of Communications, Mohawk College
905-575-1212, ext. 3965
Brian J Hansell
President, Hansell Consulting Group
905-520-6960
Mohawk College educates and serves more than 29,500 full-time, part-time, apprenticeship and international students at three main campuses in Hamilton, Ontario and learning hubs across Hamilton through City School by Mohawk, and at the College’s Centre for Aviation Technology at the Hamilton International Airport. Mohawk is among the top five colleges for applied research in Canada. It has been named one of Canada’s greenest employers seven years in a row, holds a GOLD STARS rating from AASHE for sustainability achievements and is home to the country’s largest and first institutional building to receive dual certification for Zero Carbon Building Framework design and performance for The Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation. More than 135,000 people have graduated from Mohawk since it was founded.