Aurora resident, Judy Brunton is a long time supporter of Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and in particular the MOBYSS (Mobile York South Simcoe) program in York-Simcoe.
MOBYSS is one of the many programs offered by CMHA, the only mobile clinic for youth in the province.
The clinic is set up on a bus, which travels around the community helping youth aged 12-25 with their physical or mental health concerns. The bus is staffed with a nurse practitioner, specialized youth mental health worker, and peer support specialist.
Every year, Brunton is one of the largest fundraisers for the program, and is continuously spreading the word about mental health through online fundraising initiatives. Her sister struggled with mental health issues when she was young, and Brunton credits the mental health supports in place which really helped her.
"I do it (fundraising) in honour of her," she explained.
Her biggest fundraiser is for the annual Mental Health in Motion bike event, which takes place every June in Newmarket and is the association's premiere fundraising event.
"It raises the profile of the organization and lets people know that we're here," explained Director of Philanthropy at CMHA Catherine Matzig.
But thanks to COVID-19, this year's event has been cancelled. Instead, Mental Health in Motion have been raising money online as part of the MOBYSS in MOTION campaign.
So far the community has raised just over $50K of their $75K goal, with Brunton being one of the top fundraisers so far with $4,222 pledged and about $6,000 still coming in.
"It's my passion, it's what I have to do, it's what I need to do," explained Brunton about her fundraising efforts.
She enjoys participating in the bike event every year and usually brings her two songs along for the ride, Charles, 12 and Jacob, 8.
In the past six years she has raised $90,000 for the association through various fundraising campaigns, and is hoping to raise at least $15K more to surpass her goal of $100K.
"It's not just getting donations, I've done third party fundraiser events as well," she explained about her efforts over the years. Most of her donations go to support the MOBYSS bus, as it costs around $1,300 a day to run when it is in motion. And with the cancellation of the bike ride, Brunton is encouraging others to donate to the online fundraiser.
Matzig reassured that once they are able the bus will be back up and running, but for now staff have been working remotely, facilitating appointments with youth through phone, text and video conference. Since the start of the pandemic, she noted there have been over 250 sessions booked.
And while the bus is the one that usually comes to the youth, Matzig said that she is happy to see the youth reaching out and asking for help.
She added that the pandemic has put mental health services in more demand, especially for youth who are feeling anxious about the future and lonely in isolation.
“Right now - more than ever - youth are suffering and need the programs that CMHA are able to offer to them,” added Brunton.
Youth looking to speak with someone can contact the MOBYSS line by either phone or text at 289-879-2376.
And anyone looking for support is encouraged to call the telephone based counselling line at 1-866-345-0183, open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
To learn more about Brunton and her fundraising initiatives, check out here website here.
To make a donation to MOBYSS in MOTION digital campaign, click here.
To make a donation to Brunton's personal MOBYSS in MOTION fundraising page, click here.
