OTTAWA -- Hydro Ottawa has made a donation to CHEO in honour of Bell Let's Talk Day this year.

The local utility has given the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario $30,000 to go toward child and youth mental health support programs.

Bell Let's Talk Day is Thursday, Jan. 28. Bell is the parent company of CTV News Ottawa.

The funding from Hydro Ottawa comes from the company's ongoing e-billing program, according to a press release. Since the program began in 2015, Hydro Ottawa has raised more than $500,000 for CHEO.

"CHEO's dedication to improving the lives of all children is a shining example of what is possible when experts come together to address some of the biggest health issues and crises of our time," said Hydro Ottawa President and CEO Bryce Conrad in the press release. "Our community is very fortunate to have this local and celebrated institution in our own backyard so that our children can receive the best medical care so close to home."

President and CEO of the CHEO Foundation, Kevin Keohane, said mental health supports for children are needed now more than ever.

"Prior to the pandemic, CHEO was already seeing an alarming number of young people coming to the Emergency Department seeking mental health support. Now isolated from friends and family we know youth are struggling even more," said Keohane, quoted in the release. "The financial support from Hydro Ottawa will help CHEO to meet the challenges of our time and provide urgently needed care to children and youth in crisis and enable us to work with community partners to ensure those struggling are connected to the right services at the right time"

On Bell Let's Talk Day, Bell donates 5 cents to Canadian mental health programs for every applicable text, local or long distance call, tweet or TikTok video using the #BellLetsTalk hashtag. Five cents will also be donated for every Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube video of the Bell Let's Talk Day video, and every use of the Bell Let's Talk Facebook frame or Snapchat filter.

Since the first Bell Let's Talk Day in 2011, Canadians and people around the world have sent a total of more than 1.1 billion messages of support for mental health, bringing Bell's total funding commitment to $113,415,135.