Lakers Break the Ice on Mental Health Raises $9,000

The Nipissing University Sport Marketing class says that the Lakers Break the Ice on Mental Health event held on November 22, raised $9,000 for mental health supports in the North Bay community.

Break the Ice on Mental Health is an annual event that allows Nipissing Business students the opportunity to extend their learning beyond textbooks and classrooms by spearheading all event-related planning and execution.  Dr. Denyse Lafrance Horning, instructor of the Sport Marketing class and Teaching Chair of Experiential Learning at Nipissing University was thrilled with this year’s event results:

“I’m very proud of these students and I appreciate the above-and-beyond effort and devotion that they commit to the Break the Ice event.  It is a massive undertaking that normally pushes students far beyond traditional course expectations and comfort zones but also delivers much more than just a grade.  Ideally, these lessons will stay with them for many years to come.”

This year’s event surpassed the previous year’s results, drawing approximately 1,000 fans to Memorial Gardens to cheer on the Lakers varsity hockey teams and support mental health awareness and fundraising efforts. The $9,000 raised through the event will assist the Community Counselling Centre of Nipissing and NU Listens in delivering essential mental health support programs within the community.

New this year was the addition of the Business Leadership class from École Secondaire Catholique Algonquin. Led by their teacher, Lisa Daub, this group of determined and creative students produced and sold products that contributed over $1,000 toward the event’s fundraising goal.  This collaboration between university and secondary programs is a unique and enriching approach to student learning and the development of social awareness.  Daub confirmed that for her students, it “was a very valuable experience and an event that we hope to be able to participate in again next year.”

“Extending these learning opportunities to the Algonquin business students was a phenomenal success and we hope to build on this with other local high schools for next year’s event,” added Lafrance Horning.

Event organizers would like to acknowledge longstanding partners Scotiabank and the Nipissing University Student Union, as well as the many other organizations and individuals that have championed these important efforts through sponsorships, donations, and fundraising participation.