Wanting to give back to her community, Airdrie real estate agent Natalie Berthiaume and her team donated more than $20,000 earlier this month to the Thumbs Up Foundation, a local non-profit organization that aims to advocate for mental health care and provide improved access to mental health resources.
Berthiaume, a real estate agent with CIR Realty in Airdrie, donated $20,522 to the Thumbs Up Foundation on Dec. 12. She said her team’s initial goal was to raise $10,000 for the local charity through their sales revenue in 2021.
After her team ended up raising $17,183, Berthiaume said they were able to further leverage the donation by utilizing ATB Cares – a donation-matching program.
“What they do is match your donation up to 20 per cent or $500, so I basically did the donation in increments to leverage the most [we could],” Berthiaume explained. “We were able to get an additional $3,400, so our total donation was $20,522.”
Berthiaume said CIR Realty always provides its agents the opportunity to donate a portion of their sales revenues to a charity in December, adding they usually select either Ronald McDonald House or the Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society (AARCS).
But given the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on people’s mental health, Berthiaume said she felt it would be more suitable to focus on a charity like the Thumbs Up Foundation this year.
“In years past, I’ve always donated to Ronald McDonald House, which is a fantastic charity, but last year I felt I wanted to make more of a difference in 2021 to our community here in Airdrie,” she said. “I wanted to find a charity that was focused on and based in our community.”
“I did a little bit of research and felt it was a charity that was somewhat poignant now, while we’re experiencing lockdowns and are in a pandemic,” she said. “I felt there’s probably a larger need for mental health care access.”
The Thumbs Up Foundation emerged in 2016, after the death of Braden Titus, who died of suicide. Braden’s parents, who are both named Kim Titus, began the charity in an effort to start a conversation about suicide and mental health.
Berthiaume said the story of Thumbs Up Foundation spoke to her.
“I thought they’re very passionate, they’re driven, and they really believe in what they’re doing,” she said of the Tituses. “They’re good and honest people, and here in Airdrie and across the country, there’s a need for that.
“They’re pretty entrenched in our community, and that’s another reason I wanted to contribute to their charity. They’ve contributed so much to our community as well over the years.”
Titus said the Thumbs Up Foundation was grateful to receive the donation from Berthiaume, adding the need for funding always exists at the grassroots, non-profit level.
“She didn’t have to do this,” Titus said. “She took it on her own volition and free will to give back to her community. People like that are very special. I know it’s the giving season, but she went above and beyond.
“She was planning this for a year. She told us she had the goal of raising $10,000 for the Thumbs Up Foundation, and surpassed it. She didn’t have to give that to charity. It makes for a very nice holiday for a family, so we’re really grateful for her and people like her who do this kind of thing.”
Last year, the Thumbs Up Foundation received a $500,000 grant from the Alberta government to conduct Harmonized Health – a one-year pilot project that aimed to support individuals and families requiring assistance for mental health and addiction care. According to Titus, care was provided by professionals and non-professionals in a controlled and measured environment.
She added the pilot wrapped up in August, and survey data from those who took part in Harmonized Health showed vast improvements in their quality of care and coordination of care.
“It wasn’t surprising, but when you work together in an integrated way, you produce better outcomes for people,” she said. “That’s what we fundamentally believe should be happening at the grassroots level in our community. That’s why we pilot the projects we do. The reports out there, there are a lot of recommendations. We take those recommendations, pay attention to the reports, and apply boots-on-the-ground practical models.”
