SeaStar receives a $25,000 Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund grant

For Immediate Release – Halifax:  IWK’s SeaStar Child and Youth Advocacy Centre (CYAC) is pleased to receive a $25,000 Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund grant in support of its trauma-based program.

SeaStar CYAC provides coordinated services and support, all in one place, for children, youth and their families who have experienced violence or abuse.

“SeaStar brings together professionals from different agencies to provide seamless access to wrap-around services,” said Dr. Amy Ornstein, Medical Director of the IWK’s Suspected Trauma and Abuse Response Team. “By working together and with the support from Bell Let’s Talk, we can help ensure that children and youth experience less trauma, and have better access to the services and supports they need.”

Bell Let’s Talk funds will go towards helping SeaStar CYAC support children and youth that have disclosed abuse. It will help provide early intervention for the child and family to help reduce the long term effects of trauma. Child abuse has an impact not only in childhood, but well into adulthood – the work of SeaStar will have a positive impact on the child and family, today and for generations to come.

“Bell Let’s Talk is pleased to support IWK’s SeaStar Child and Youth Advocacy Centre’s mission to streamline access to care for children, youth and families affected by violence,” said Mary Deacon, Chair of Bell Let’s Talk. “Having doubled the annual Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund to $2 million in 2018, we are helping more organizations in communities across Canada, like the IWK’s SeaStar Child and Youth Advocacy Centre, that are making a difference for those affected by mental illness.”

The Bell Let’s Talk initiative promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let’s Talk Day, and significant Bell funding of community care and access, research and workplace leadership initiatives. Today Bell will donate 5 cents to Canadian mental health programs for each of the following interactions, at no extra cost to participants beyond what they would normally pay their service provider for online or phone access:

• Talk: Every mobile call and every long distance call made by Bell wireless and phone customers
• Text: Every text message sent by Bell wireless customers
• Twitter: Every tweet and retweet using #BellLetsTalk, featuring the special Bell Let’s Talk emoji, and Bell Let’s Talk Day video view at Twitter.com/Bell_LetsTalk
• Facebook: Every view of the Bell Let’s Talk Day video at Facebook.com/BellLetsTalk and use of the Bell Let’s Talk frame
• Instagram: Every Bell Let’s Talk Day video view at Instagram.com/bell_letstalk
• Snapchat: Every use of the Bell Let’s Talk filter and video view

To learn more, please visit Letstalk.bell.ca/.