The Queen’s Varsity Leadership Council (VLC) will host its annual mental health awareness event during the Gaels basketball games this Friday at the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC).

“As athletes, we are in a unique position. Through our sport activities, we can raise awareness of really important issues like mental health,” says Scott Brunet (Kin’16), Vice-President of Athlete Involvement, VLC. “Our goal is to give Queen’s students, and hopefully people outside of the university community as well, more information about the mental health resources that are available to them.”

The event organizers have invited campus groups and community organizations to set up information booths at the games on Friday evening. As spectators enter the ARC, they will be able to ask questions and interact with representatives from the groups.

The Queen’s chapter of the mental health group Jack.org, which is a major sponsor of the event, has provided funding for T-shirts that the VLC will give away at the event.

“The T-shirts will create a sea of green, which is the colour of mental health awareness,” says Victoria Restivo (ConEd’18). “The T-shirts will create a cool visual and help demonstrate our support for mental health.”

The mental health awareness event is one of several outreach activities VLC is undertaking this academic year. Last fall, VLC partnered with Queen’s University Blood Team to do a similar event to raise awareness about the importance of donating blood and registering with OneMatch, which finds and matches volunteer donors to patients who require stem cell transplants.

Around the holiday season, VLC conducted its annual Christmas basket food drive to benefit Martha’s Table, a local organization that provides nutritious meals for those in need. This term, a new initiative sees student-athletes helping out at Martha’s Table. VLC also organizes Gaels Care, an initiative where student-athletes go into local elementary schools in Kingston to serve as mentors and assist with literacy programs.

“Queen’s gives us so many opportunities, so it’s nice to give back to the community,” Ms. Restivo says.

The women’s game gets underway at 6 pm followed by the men’s game at 8 pm. Visit the Queen’s Gaels website for more information about tickets.

Visit Student Affairs to learn more about mental health initiatives, programs and services at Queen's University