Mental illness affects thousands of people across BC. It can happen to anyone at any time, and has devastating impacts – on people, families, the workforce and communities. Tragically, it is a disease largely shrouded in stigma and misunderstanding.

This is why we are so grateful to Coast Capital Savings Credit Union. Since 2002, Coast Capital has raised over $2.8 million for mental health research, including ten research projects ranging from brain imaging and genetic-based studies on mood disorders, to the evaluation of new psychological treatments for depression.

Coast Capital has been a long-term partner and advocate for mental health. Coast Capital leaders have mobilized awareness and engaged the business community in a dialogue about the impact of mental illness on the workforce and the economy. “One in five Canadians will personally experience a mental illness in their lifetime,” says Don Coulter, President & CEO, Coast Capital Savings Credit Union. “With those numbers, it is safe to say that mental illness touches all of us in some way.”

“Corporate donations, like this one from Coast Capital, are essential to funding mental health research,” notes Barbara Grantham, President & CEO of VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation. “When companies make philanthropic investments, they have the power to advance health care in BC.”

The efforts of Coast Capital Savings have profoundly impacted ongoing work at VGH and UBC Hospital, offering hope and healing to people across BC suffering from mental illness.

Learn more about the Coast Capital Savings’ annual Golf Tournament