By: Paul Renaud
Paul Renaud knows what he’s talking about, and he’s trying to share what he knows with young people experiencing mental illness.
Renaud is a former junior hockey player who went through more adversity before he was eighteen than a lot of people do in a lifetime. He’s a survivor of physical and sexual abuse, serious illness, and even suicide attempts.
All of that, and the mental illness that went with it is the reason Renaud started a group called Fighting The Truth, a non-profit organization that seeks to raise mental health awareness among youth and young adults in sports and in life generally.
It began in 2014 in the Durham Region, spread to Peterborough, and now serves young all the way to Ottawa.
In 2017, Fighting the Truth renewed its emphasis on young people, and provided $21,000 to young people it was helping.
In 2018, persistence paid off as the organization finally achieved non-profit status, and added a host of partnerships with organizations including the Ottawa Senators, Easter Seals, Autism Kids, Cancer, CAA, and the Belleville Senators to name a few. Donations to assisted youth totalled at least $30,000.
In the Quinte-Kingston area, partnerships are now in place with the Trenton Golden Hawks and the Amerstview Jets. New collaborations are in the works with Relm Sports in Kingston and Dangle U in Napanee.
“One of our main goals in 2019 is to achieve charitable status,” says Renaud.
“And we’re always looking for partners who can contribute professional help and guidance, or resources we can include in our efforts, or help promote our cause.”
“We can visit your school or club and to talk to young people, share our stories, and let them know it’s okay to talk about how they feel.”
Paul Renaud knows what he’s talking about.
FightingTheTruth.com 289-688-0490 facebook/Fighting the Truth