When the Chatham Maroons take to the ice Sunday night in green warmup jerseys, they’ll be doing so knowing teammates, parents and fans will benefit from their efforts.
The jerseys, which will be removed before the Maroons take on the St. Thomas Stars that night, are to be auctioned off as part of the Face Off for Mental Health program. Funds raised from the jerseys and other auction items will support the program as it aims to raise awareness of mental health supports in Chatham-Kent.
Spokespeople for the Maroons and the Mental Health Table that have organized the Face Off for Mental Health program, said working together was an obvious match.
Maroons executive member Tom Heath said mental health concerns are very close to home for the organization, recalling that it was less than a year ago that former assistant captain Craig Spence died in a car crash. The team had to come to grips with the sudden loss.
When the Mental Health Table approached the organization about raising awareness for mental health through a regular season hockey game, Heath said the Maroons jumped at the opportunity.
Cathy DeBresser Knowler, chair of the Mental Health Table, said having worked with the Maroons last year when the table rolled out the BeSafe app to Chatham-Kent set the stage for Sunday night. BeSafe is a free mobile app that allows users to quickly access local mental health resources.
“The response we got on that (BeSafe) was incredible,” DeBresser Knowler said. “We see them (the Maroons) as being role models to all the younger (hockey) players.”
She said the Maroon players last year were first class when working with the Mental Health Table.
“They were so welcoming of the thought of bringing mental health into sports,” she said.
Heath said support for players is important. He noted the loss of Spence impacted the Maroons and Blenheim Blades alike. But the needs goes beyond one incident, however tragic.
“I’ve been involved in sports all my life. Back in the day, we didn’t talk about mental health issues,” he said. “But when you start reading about some of the stats, how many are dealing with mental health issues, it’s scary. It’s especially scary when you’re talking about kids.”
Those statistics are “staggering,” according to DeBresser Knowler. Prior to the pandemic, an estimated one in five youths suffered from a mental illness. Post pandemic, it’s closer to one in three.
“In hockey terms, that’s at least one player on each line, a coach, many parents, and a significant percentage of the fans,” DeBresser Knowler said.
At the Jan. 19 game, there will be activities designed to raise awareness and foster community engagement over mental health concerns. They include the jersey auction; a moment of silence in tribute to those impacted by anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, and many other mental health challenges; a mental health pledge wall; the sale of supportive green ribbons; and more.
Heath said a stick autographed by all the Maroons will also be up for auction, as well as items donated by local businesses. A print of Bobby Orr scoring “THE goal” is also up for grabs.
“We’re hoping that we raise a significant amount of money that will go to the local Mental Health Table to support the programming and services,” Heath said.
DeBresser Knowler said the Face Off game is hoped to help break what may be self-perceived barriers.
“One really big job is breaking the stigma to mental health. Some kids might not be OK, but they don’t want to say anything out of fear they might be benched,” she said. “They put so much pressure on themselves.”
DeBresser Knowler said there are supports in place in Chatham-Kent for youth and young people. However, not everyone knows what’s available.
“There are so many tools out there that people don’t realize. Mental health support can be very, very expensive, but people don’t realize we have a lot of supports in Chatham that are free of charge for youth as well as adults,” she said. “It’s OK not to be OK and to reach out for help.”
The BeSafe app helps showcase what supports are in place.
“When a person struggles, they can open up that app and it will tell them where they need to go to get the help they need,” DeBresser Knowler said.
Heath said he would like to see the Face Off for Mental Health idea spread leaguewide.
“We hope we’re just kind of a starting point. This is not just for GOJHL (Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League), but for everyone who comes to watch,” he said. “It will start these conversations.”
The Face Off for Mental Health game takes place at 7 p.m. Jan. 19 at Memorial Arena in Chatham.