Today, Canadians through hashtags, texting, Facebook sharing and phone calls will all raise money for mental health programs and initiatives in Canada.

"If you look at La Loche - a young kid that's being bullied about his ears. If we look at bullying, we look at sexual abuse, physical abuse, we look at kids growing up in severe neglect. We know through the science of where that goes, and that leads to mental health issues, depression, addiction, suicidal ideation, self harm, etc. ," said Sheldon Kennedy, abuse survivor, former NHL player who founded the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre.

Kennedy has been an dedicated promoter of mental health initiatives and how important they are for those who need it most.

"That's what I like so much about the Safe Places strategy in Swift Current. That's a collective approach to making sure that you create a community that is saying, 'It's OK to share your story, it's Ok not to be OK,' - that's what we have to do. Because if we look at mental health, early childhood trauma make up 80 per cent of those issues," Kenneday said.

According to the Canadian Institute of Health Research, 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a form of mental illness, but 2/3 won't have access to help.

Mayor Schafer and Kennedy earlier this month at Living Sky Casino.