General News
7 September, 2022
Raising awareness for mental health
A BRAVE group of Mercy Regional College students, staff and parents ventured into the icy water of Lake Bullen Merri recently.
A BRAVE group of Mercy Regional College students, staff and parents ventured into the icy water of Lake Bullen Merri recently.
The rather chilly start to the day was done in a bid to raise awareness and funds to support the work of local mental health organisations.
O’Keeffe community leader and the organiser of MRC Dip for Mental Health Emily Stephens said participants had a goal of staying in the water for 10 minutes for the inaugural event.
“We know over the last couple of years our community and the world have navigated many challenges, with research proving that mental health among all ages has been impacted significantly,” she said.
“We wanted to do something a little different and fun; to add a social element to an event that would include the whole community.
“It is a known fact that cold water therapy has many physical and emotional benefits and can work as a good strategy to improvemental health.
“With this in mind, we decided to utilise our fantastic resource Lake Bullen Merri and take the dip.”
The VCAL team and the students from MRC’s $20 Boss elective were on hand to provide a cooked breakfast and coffee on return to school.
School principal Sharon Gillett congratulated all involved for their efforts.
“It was a wonderful morning,” she said.
“Thank you to all involved dipping, cooking, donating, and helping.
“We invite our community to plan on joining us for our 2023 Dip.”