Festival of Colours Night Market shines a light on mental health
On April 26, nearly 250 community members gathered at the Hilton Toronto/Markham Suites for Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation’s Festival of Colours Night Market, raising critical funds to support youth and adolescent mental health. This ‘fun-raiser,’ presented by RBC and supported by The Nanji Family Foundation, brought the community’s diverse and vibrant cultures together for an unforgettable, fun-filled evening with a purpose.
Health care is everchanging and so too is the community that Oak Valley Health’s Markham Stouffville Hospital (MSH) serves. In recent years, the demand for mental health services at MSH has increased substantially, especially among the youth population.
“MSH’s Outpatient Mental Health Services facilitated more than 7,700 visits for children and adolescents last year,” says Suzette Strong, CEO of MSH Foundation. “Initiatives like the Festival of Colours Night Market help ensure MSH can continue expanding its mental health services to care for any child and their family when they need us, right in their own backyard.”
Funds from the evening will support a new Child and Adolescent Inpatient Mental Health Unit at MSH. This six-bed unit will enable the delivery of specialized treatment and help reduce wait times for children in crisis who need access to round-the-clock, life-saving mental health care.
“One in five children struggles with mental health issues,” says Dr. Amir Barsoum, Chief of Psychiatry of Oak Valley Health. “Our vision is to offer crisis intervention and stabilization to youth through this new unit. If we are able to provide inpatient care with resources right at hand, it will have a positive impact on readmission rates, recovery, and the future of these patients in general.”
Kayla Williams, TV personality, kicked off the night as emcee and host. Guests were treated to a vibrant array of food stations reflecting the community’s diversity, along with engaging activities like an AI photo booth, a hip hop vs. Bhangra dance-off, and lipstick readings. Live entertainment consisted of performances by Juno Award-winning recording artist Sean Jones and power vocalist Cleopatra Williams. Guests danced into the night to the music of five-time winner of Canada’s #1 Club DJ Award, DJ Baba Kahn, who has shared the stage with 50 Cent, Sean Paul, Ne-Yo, and T-Pain.
Donations are still being accepted, and supporters can relive the evening’s highlights at https://www.mshf.on.ca/events/festivalofcolours.
Photo: Oak Valley Health Chief of Psychiatry Dr. Amir Barsoum and CEO Mark Fam, Shahid Amlani and Azim Nanji of The Nanji Family Foundation with Suzette Strong, CEO of MSH Foundation.