In year one of the 500 Miles for Mental Health challenge nearly 100 walkers logged literally thousands of miles. In fact, we walked from Calgary, Alberta to the North Pole and back!

2022 Grant Winners

Seaquam Robotics Club (Surrey, BC) is participated in a signature robotics event in Alberta where they connected with robotics students from Canada & the US. They qualified for the world competition! Watch a video about the competition!

Rolling Hills School (Rolling Hills, Alberta) increased awareness around dealing with trauma through their film "Running Scared" about a young woman dealing with PTSD.  The film demonstrated the many ways to address mental health like physical activity, trusted adults and supportive friends. 

Holy Spirit School (Ottawa, Ontario) launched the The Book Collectors Club which distributed books to grades 3-5 students. These books try to start age-appropriate conversations about mental health in children. Topics include anxiety, ADHD, racism, expressing thoughts & feelings and more.

Maine Memorial Elementary School (Maine, New York) hosted the Keeping Kids Safe, Health and Wellness campaign.  This provided opportunities for students to learn about online safety, digital citizenship & how to protect themselves while using technology.

We walked, cycled, paddled, golfed, jogged, and generally moved our bodies more than 12,000 miles. That's like walking from the South Pole to the North Pole!

2023 Grant Winners

Rolling Hills School (Rolling Hills, Alberta)

Through a variety of outdoor games and activities, the school hopes to improve mental health. They will also challenge another school to participate so they can nominate them for a grant next year.

Brooks Junior High School (Brooks, Alberta) The school will purchase jerseys and soccer equipment to launch a soccer team. Specifically the soccer club hopes to promote mental health in children from less prosperous families and many recent immigrant families so they can participate in the sport they love.

Maine Memorial Elementary School (Maine, New York)
This year the school will set up a safe walking zone. They want to promote exercise through non-competitive games. This will encourage better habits and through this they expect noticeable mental health improvements.

Surrey School (Surrey, British Columbia)
The music program wants to encourage music appreciation across many genres. They will purchase equipment to encourage music appreciation  and want to view through the lens of mental health and how music can affect us.

Ottawa Catholic School Board (Ottawa, Ontario)
The school will purchase Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) toys and activities. They will promote STEM Bots/Club that support ongoing growth and help with mental health challenges.