THUNDER BAY -- Thunder Bay Police capped off Mental Health Awareness Week by donating a colourful friendship bench to St. Vincent Elementary School.
At the beginning of the day on Friday, the student body was on hand to take pictures with the bench and police officers in front of the school.
The friendship bench is the last of the many initiatives that Thunder Bay Police have undertaken this week.
Five police members were on hand including Sgt. Greg Stein who is in charge of the community response team.
“The benches were started by a young girl by the name of Acacia Woodley. Acacia was born without complete arms, and wanted to speak out against bullying.”
The donation of the bench is in theme with Mental Health Awareness Week and Youth Week, and promotes the themes of inclusivity and anti-bullying in the schools.
“The whole premise behind the bench is that if someone needs a friend they can sit on the bench, and that’s a signal they need someone to talk to,” says Stein.
“We don’t have any bullying at our school,” says principal Elma Provenzano. “But we do have a lot of children who are embarrassed to approach other children, and to find a friend.”
“It’s vibrant, it’s bright, and hopefully this will bring more inclusivity and kindness for St. Vincent.”
St. Vincent was selected, along with Crestview Public School, as the two schools which were given benches from the Thunder Bay Police Association.
TPBA Director Rob Miller says that the themes of Mental Health Awareness Week and Youth Week lined up perfectly with the donation of the bench.
“We felt that St. Vincent, being a lower-grade school embodied the spirit of Youth Week. The bench is all different colours, so picking a week that is designated the colour green allows us to relate to the bench.”
The students and staff of St. Vincent joined the police officers by wearing green to show support for Mental Health Awareness Week.
