Purple has been used to symbolize magic and mystery. It’s also the colour of royalty — and a favourite among teenage girls.
Right here in the Ottawa area during February, schools, workplaces, retail stores, offices, clubs and sports teams will be coloured purple. And corporations and individuals will compliment that colour with their own purple hue. It’s all part of the Power to the Purple Challenge designed to raise awareness, transform youth mental health … and inspire conversations about the importance of talking about a subject that was once taboo.
Thanks to the generous support of several sponsors, including presenting sponsor Giant Tiger, through three separate challenges, schools, corporations and community groups are being encouraged to raise awareness and funds in support of the DIFD campaign and youth mental health care and research at The Royal. Family and friends of Daron Richardson created DIFD in her memory, after she lost her life to suicide at the age of 14. DIFD is now a growing movement that has swept the province, with its wide base of support seeking one collective outcome: to transform youth mental health.
Ideas for raising awareness include hosting anti-stigma events, sharing stories and pictures on www.difd.com, wearing purple in February, and starting conversations with other students, colleagues, family or friends. Ideas for transforming youth mental health include raising funds online by signing up as a member of your school or corporate team or community group, participating in the fundraising competition, creating point of sale donations at the cash register, selling $2 paper hearts to customers to ‘paint’ your business, hosting a fundraising event, or buying DIFD merchandise online. Everything you need to know about the Power to the Purple Challenge can be found on the website.
Students who participate by registering online to raise funds for youth mental health are automatically eligible to win a great prize.
But the real winner will be what this month-long challenge is meant to do — build awareness about youth mental health and support ongoing research at The Royal.
This year’s Power to the Purple Challenge grew out of last year’s Purple Pledge Day — when students across Ottawa decided to sell purple bracelets to signal their support for transforming youth mental health and starting this important conversation.
“It continues to amaze me how much impact DIFD has had on our community,” says Andrée Steel, President and CEO of the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health. “The number of community led events that have taken place, the number of people who are becoming involved, and the partnerships we are entering into at both community and national levels continue to grow. Such groundswell of support speaks to the importance that the community is giving to open dialogue and advancing youth mental health.”
And illustrating that community support is Giant Tiger, the Challenge’s presenting sponsor. “Our youth is our country’s greatest natural resource and they deserve our greatest attention as they are our future. Giant Tiger is proud to be the presenting sponsor for the DIFD cause (Power To The Purple). We have supported and believed in the importance of this cause from its inception and challenge everyone to get involved,” said Lauren Moir, Vice President Marketing, Giant Tiger Stores Limited.