The Royal Ottawa honoured six people who are empowering others to talk about mental illness Friday night.
Hundreds attended the fundraising gala at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum to hear stories from people like 16-year-old Hannah Brunsdon.
"It's the best feeling to be here to be recognized, to be with people who are so inspiring. It's fabulous," she said.
Brunsdon was honoured for co-writing and co-directing Voices, a play about a young woman's descent into suicide that was inspired by her own depression and anxiety.
"If I didn't know anything about it, how could other people know about it?" she said. "One hundred per cent this is my calling. I'm an outgoing person and this is my passion, helping people."
Jake Fox is a mentor at the Orleans Bengal Football Club, which encourages kids aged three to 18 to come and talk through sports.
"We're a family, it doesn't matter who you are, where you're from, who you play," said the honouree. "We're one big happy family. If you need to talk, we're here."
Anna's Tears author Natalie Holmes was also celebrated for her novel on addiction.
"It's really strange when I look back at it about the person I use to be," she said of her past usage of alcohol to medicate her depression. "It was this potential I had in me that I didn't know I had."
"By telling their own story, by being open about their own illness, they are empowering others to get help sooner and to reach out," said Andree Steele, president and CEO of the Royal Ottawa Foundation of Mental Health.
The Royal provides mental health treatment as well as awareness and education programs.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Stefanie Masotti
