Saskatoon couple donates $1 million to help youth mental health services

Saskatoon’s Wayne and Debra Grund are donating $1 million to Saskatchewan’s Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation (JPCHF).

The donation is to further support provincial child and youth mental health initiatives.

The Grunds have personal connections to pediatric mental health care and felt inspired to help make a difference towards these programs.

“(The hope is) to be able to provide the support necessary in mental health from the north to the east to the south to the west,” Wayne said Thursday. “Children of Saskatchewan are our future and there’s nothing that makes Debra and I happier than to see a child smile.”

The Strongest Families Institute (SFI) is one of the programs that will be supported by the donation.

The SFI has children who have been identified by their parents, grandparents or legal guardians as individuals who need help.

“It’s very intimidating to ask for help if you’re a youth,” said Dr. Anna Felstrom. “But when we do have children that are identified, we will then be able to connect them to the appropriate service.”

However, the therapy is actually based out of Halifax and therapists are from all over with the majority being from Eastern Canada.

The therapy sessions happen over the phone to allow the child to remain in the comfort of their own home.

“(The therapists) can provide therapy out of hours (and) they’ll provide therapy into the evenings,” Felstrom said. “We are working towards partnering  with them to deliver it to Saskatchewan to families.”