Community partners join to support the Post, mental health
Students at Medicine Hat College and community partners are coming together to take part in the #LeanonthePost initiative, which aims to generate support for the Post Thrift Store and the Canadian Mental Health Association.
“It’s is an awareness campaign to try to let the public in Medicine Hat and area know the Post Thrift Store is a large financial supporter for the Canadian Mental Health Association,” Clayton Renke, co-president of Enactus MHC, told the News.
Enactus MHC, a student-led volunteer organization seeking to better the community through entrepreneurial projects, has collaborated with the Post to develop four fundraising initiatives to take place throughout the year.
Each initiative has a specific focus relating to positive mental health. The first — launched this morning — focuses on pets and their impact on mental health.
“Our target was kind of to do things people do to support their mental health,” Renke said. “The first thing we thought of is people have pets to try to maintain good mental health, so we are partnering with the SPCA, APARC and Animal World to sell merchandise.”
Renke and his team at Enactus hope the initiative will raise money for the Post and also spread awareness about its purpose.
“The past couple years mental health has been a big topic in the news and just on people’s minds in Medicine Hat,” he said. “With everything going on the Post thought this would be a great opportunity to raise some awareness and get some more customers’ feet in the door, because that goes straight back into CMHA and that goes straight back into the community.”
Trish Richard-Tuchscherer, general manager of the Post, is thankful Enactus and community partners are coming together to show support.
“I think we can accomplish way more when we do everything together and to have (Enactus Medicine Hat and community partners) cheering for the Post and make sure we’re doing the best we can in a time where things aren’t as good as they have normally been for the Post, it’s wonderful,” Richard-Tuchscherer said. “We’re so lucky they’ve gotten on board ... it’s such a great collaboration all around.”
“The Post isn’t just a thrift store; we support programming for Canadian mental health and we are non-profit,” she said. “We are (also) a supportive work environment.”
Not only does Renke hope to raise support for the Post, he hopes the initiatives will add joy to people’s days and open conversations about mental health.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for people to change the stigma around mental health by making events like this a common thing,” he said.
Renke and RichardsTuchscherer hope Hatters will show support by engaging in the initiatives. Related merchandise is available for purchase now at the SPCA, APARC and Animal World. The next initiative — set to begin on March 30 — will focus on student, youth and Indigenous mental health. Later in the year, events will focus on food and fitness.