07/17/2025
Ontario Shores Foundation For Mental Health and Trees For Life Celebrate Mental Health Heroes With New Trees For Hope Campaign. A new campaign that honours mental health heroes through the purchase of a tree.
Trees For Life, a leading Canadian non-profit community tree planting organization, and Ontario Shores Foundation for Mental Health announced the launch of their new Trees For Hope campaign during a ceremonial tree planting attended by Ryan Turnbull, MP for Whitby and Lorne Coe, MPP for Whitby.
Trees For Hope invites the local community and beyond to personally honour a mental health hero through the purchase of a tree. Each tree planted on the grounds of Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences in Whitby will recognize an individual patient’s journey, the exceptional support of a mental health care worker or the advocacy of a mental health champion in the community.
To purchase a Tree For Hope, please visit:
treesforlife.ca/ontarioshores
Contributions to the campaign will receive a charitable tax receipt.
“As a mental health hospital, Ontario Shores is often surrounded by fear and stigma,” said Tracy Clegg, CEO, Ontario Shores Foundation for Mental Health. “Partnerships like the one with Trees for Life truly magnify the importance of standing with the mental health cause and Ontario Shores – the beacon of hope that it is. Thank you, Trees for Life, for enabling the opportunity to honour mental health heroes in this unique and symbolic way.”
“Trees play a vital role in supporting mental and physical wellness, with the benefits of time spent in nature including reduced stress and improved mood,” said Marina Dimitriadis, Executive Director, Trees For Life. “We’re thrilled to be renewing our partnership with Ontario Shores to expand their urban forest footprint and create a tranquil space for reflection, connection and meditation.”
Last fall, Trees For Life, with the support of Natural Resources Canada, planted 346 trees on the Ontario Shores hospital campus, one for each inpatient bed, to honour and acknowledge the strength of patients and healthcare workers at Ontario Shores. This new campaign will expand the budding forest, offering a restorative haven for patients, families, and the healthcare heroes who support them.
This initiative is part of Trees For Health, a national program that has already planted over 23,000 trees in across Canada. Since 2015, Trees For Life has planted 3.34 million trees – capturing an estimated 30,000 tonnes of carbon annually (the equivalent emissions of 6,500 cars) and producing enough oxygen each day for 13 million people. In 2025, the organization aims to plant 150,000 trees across Canada – tripling its 2024 total and dramatically growing its impact.
Through a $4-million federal investment for tree planting projects, Trees for Life, in collaboration with planting partners, is committed to planting 120,000 trees in urban and suburban communities across southern Ontario over five years. In its second year, Trees For Life is ahead of target, with 83,000 trees planted -- 35,000 in 2024 and 48,000 trees planted across 40 projects in 2025.
Quotes
“Canada’s natural resources are central to our quality of life and the strength of our communities. By investing in tree planting across southern Ontario, we’re enhancing local ecosystems, supporting biodiversity and creating greener, more-livable spaces. This initiative reflects how thoughtful stewardship of our natural resources can deliver lasting benefits for people and the environment alike.” – The Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources
“Planting more trees across southern Ontario means more than just greener landscapes, it means cooler neighbourhoods, cleaner air and healthier communities. This investment is helping to create more vibrant, livable spaces where Canadians can thrive. By restoring natural areas close to home, we’re making a real difference in people’s daily lives while building a more sustainable future for the region.” – MP Ryan Turnbull, Whitby, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)
“Our partnership with Natural Resources Canada enables Trees For Life to exponentially amplify our impact across southern Ontario. With this vital investment, we’ve been able to set an ambitious planting goal in 2025 - 150,000 trees, triple our 2024 total. Together, we can grow greener, healthier and more resilient communities, benefiting residents today and future generations to come.” – Marina Dimitriadis, Executive Director, Trees For Life
About Trees For Life
Trees for Life is a Canadian charity driven to inspire, support and mobilize community-led tree and shrub-planting initiatives. Its mission is to create a healthier, happier Canada by planting native trees where people live, work, and play. Including the work of its first projects, the Highway of Heroes Tree Campaign and GrandTrees Climate Solutions, Trees for Life has raised over $18 million to support the planting and stewardship of over 3.3 million trees across Canada.
To learn more, donate, or suggest a project, visit treesforlife.ca, or follow on X, Facebook or Instagram.
About Ontario Shores
Ontario Shores Foundation for Mental Health (the Foundation) supports mental health and recovery at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (Ontario Shores). As one of only four specialty mental health hospitals in the province, Ontario Shores has been providing compassionate, exemplary mental health care in a healing, recovery-oriented environment for over 100 years. In partnership with our donors, staff, patients, and community, the Foundation inspires change through numerous fundraising initiatives that enable life-changing programs and research not funded by the government, and support people and families living with serious mental illness.
To learn more or to donate, visit facesofontarioshores.ca and follow Ontario Shores Foundation on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn
