10 million reasons why today’s a great day at CAMH

May 11, 2011 – (Toronto) – Thanks to a spectacular $10 million gift from Bell – announced at a packed news conference this morning – the CAMH Foundation marked an historic milestone in its Transforming Lives Campaign.

Bell CEO George Cope announces an historic $10 million gift to CAMH at a May 11, 2011 press conference.

(L-r) Darrell Gregersen, President and CEO, CAMH Foundation; George Cope, President and CEO of Bell and BCE Inc; and Dr. Catherine Zahn, CAMH President and CEO.

"The Bell team is proud to be an integral partner in the CAMH community and for its central entry point – the Bell Gateway Building – to so visibly carry our name," said George Cope, President and CEO of Bell and BCE Inc.

The Campaign has officially surpassed a $100 million milestone with $108 million raised in what is the world’s largest hospital campaign for mental illness and addictions.

The announcement garnered widespread local, provincial and national media attention.

"We're extremely grateful to Bell for its generous donation and leadership in pushing us over the top in our campaign," says Darrell Gregersen, President and CEO, CAMH Foundation.

A gift of this magnitude to support work in mental health “is pretty much unheard of anywhere," according to Dr. Catherine Zahn, CAMH president and CEO.

"There just hasn't been this type of commitment from the private sector and civil society ... to support the public sector in our movement to create a better world, to help people with mental illness and addictions live their best lives."

Watch Insite for more coverage and detail of this momentous donation.

Tonight, we celebrate and we offer our deepest thanks to everyone at CAMH for making this historic moment possible. It is yours to celebrate!