Fredericton Chamber Celebrates Life of Former Intern with Mental Health Event
FREDERICTON–In light of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Mental Health Week, Fredericton Chamber of Commerce is holding a mental health workshop on Friday to help employees and employers manage stress and create a work/life balance, and also to celebrate the life of former student intern Kasey Atwin.
“She was with us last spring for a few week and she was a very sweet girl,” said event manager Stacey Murray . “She was very creative and artistic … She was very entrepreneurial. One of her dreams was to open a grocery store in Kingsclear because they currently don’t have one.”
Murray says the event, Your Mental Health Matters, is meant to highlight the fact that the stress of depression affects everyone.
“We’re trying to bring awareness to Kasey’s life but also help others with their mental health.”
“It’s not just a certain demographic so as business owners and employees of businesses, we felt that hosting an event like this for our chamber members would benefit them. We’re trying to focus on the stress management and the work/life balance so those are two topics that the Canadian Mental Health Association will address at the event,” she said.
The event is sponsored in part by Wilson Insurance, who contributed purifying plants for attendees. Fredericton Chamber will be making a donation to CMHA in Kasey Atwin’s name.
“Right now we’re just waiting to see how it goes. It might be something we do try to do each year depending on the response from our members. Our initial thought was a one-time event in memory in Kasey,” said Murray.
According to a report by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, between 10 per cent and 25 per cent of workplaces are characterized by conditions and environments considered mentally injurious. This event aims to equip employees and employers with the tools to deal with mental health challenges in the workplace.
The event will feature a talk by CMHA New Brunswick program coordinator Robin Ward on learning what exactly stress is and how to manage it early and maintain a balanced lifestyle.
Fredericton Chamber will also be hosting a webinar on May 25 with SLS Health Coaching on workplace wellness.