Canadian golf pro Mike Weir recently launched a drive for the development of a new ACCESS Open Minds Sarnia site.

The Mike Weir Foundation has pledged to match donations up to $200,000 for an ACCESS Open Minds Sarnia site that would serve youth aged 11 to 25 in the community.

“It’s almost like 7 out of 10 people that we’d speak to have been affected by children and adolescence mental health or addiction,” said Jim Weir, brother of Mike Wier. “Mike’s still very connected to the community, even though he lives in Utah, and he said we really need to do something — let’s come up with a plan, let’s get the right people and get the community around it.”

The goal is to have the Sarnia site open and operational by next summer. Bluewater Health Mental Health & Addictions Vice President Paula Reaume-Zimmer explained that this site would be similar to the existing ACCESS Open Minds facility in Chatham-Kent, Ontario.

“We don’t want it dragged out. We know the need is immediate, and as we can see, there’s lots of community buy-in and support, so we want to take advantage of that.” said Reaume-Zimmer.

Mike Weir Par 3 Challenge For Mental Health

The Mike Weir Foundation has been dedicated to advancing the physical, emotional and educational welfare of children since 2004 and has raised over $7 Million for numerous local and national children’s charities across Canada.

The proceeds from his upcoming Par 3 Challenge event will help to create an ACCESS Open Minds site for the Sarnia-Lambton community. More than 75 per cent of mental health issues develop before a person turns 25, and yet, many traditional services aren’t equipped to address the unique barriers that young people face when trying to access mental health support. The ACCESS Open Minds Sarnia site will address this critical gap, by providing tailored and holistic mental health and addiction support to youth. The site will be designed not just for youth in our community but with them, to ensure their needs are met, their voices are heard.

You can visit the Mike Weir Foundation website for more information.