The Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs are the recipient of a  $10,000 grant from the 2015 Bell Let含羞草研究社檚 Talk Community Fund to support the Talking About Wellness Program.

含羞草研究社淥ur goal is to help children and youth access health and wellness education and supports at young ages,含羞草研究社� said Teresa Murray, area director with the Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs.

含羞草研究社淲ith the Bell Let含羞草研究社檚 Talk Community Fund grant, the Talking About Wellness Program will enable us to provide preventative and intervention based mental health services directly to children and youth who are living with mental health issues.含羞草研究社�

The Talking About Wellness Program will increase access to mental health education and supports for children and youth aged 4-19 and their families.  The program has three initiative streams: Flex Your Head, Friends for Life/Fun Friends and Mind Over Mood Bootcamp.  Each stream focuses on a specific population to help kids overcome barriers they face with mental health issues.

含羞草研究社淏ell Let含羞草研究社檚 Talk is very proud to support The Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs Talking about Wellness Program,含羞草研究社� said Mary Deacon, chair of Bell Let's Talk. 含羞草研究社淚n 2015, The Bell Let's Talk Community Fund supported 55 organizations, in every region of the country, all of which are making a difference in the lives of people living with mental illness, and the family and friends who support them.

"Over the last five years, the Bell Let含羞草研究社檚 Talk Community Fund has invested more than $5 million in hundreds of community programs and services that improve access to mental health care.含羞草研究社�

The Talking About Wellness program will help children and youth develop coping skills to manage the stresses and challenges of life so they can grow up to be resilient, happy and healthy.  Open discussion will be encouraged and thereby help to reduce stigma in the community.

The three program streams are targeted toward specific audiences and provide a variety of options for children and youth as each has individualized needs.  By offering a range of specialized mental health services Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs will be better able to provide optimal support to our community and reduce stigma.

And a reminder that today is Bell Let's Talk Day, in which Bell will donate five cents to Canadian mental health programs for every text message, wireless and long distance call made by Bell customers, every tweet using #BellLetsTalk, and every Facebook share of the Bell Let含羞草研究社檚 Talk Day image at Facebook.com/BellLetsTalk.

Bell含羞草研究社檚 donations are made at no extra charge to Bell Let含羞草研究社檚 Talk Day participants, though normal long distance or text charges, if any, apply.