Foundation Event Promises a Room With a View

The American Psychiatric Foundation (APF) hopes you will mark Saturday, May 16, on your calendar. That’s when it will be hosting a special event at Horizons restaurant on the LookOut level of the CN Tower in Toronto.

As a charitable subsidiary of APA, the foundation holds a benefit each year in conjunction with the APA annual meeting to support its public-education and research initiatives.

This year’s event will be held from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. APF has planned a wonderful evening including delicious food and a program honoring recipients of the 2015 Awards for Advancing Minority Mental Health.

For those looking for an adrenaline rush, guests will have the ability to join the tourists on the Glass Floor, offering a view that extends 1,122 feet straight down! Guests who prefer their adventure with a slightly more secure feeling under their feet can step into the outdoor SkyTerrace to take in the views—and a nice breeze off Lake Ontario.

Hosting the annual event over 1,000 feet above ground might be appropriate for the foundation, as it continues to reach for the sky in pursuit of its mission: advancing mental health, overcoming mental illness, and eliminating stigma.

Proceeds from this benefit help support the programs and initiatives of the APF, all of which embody APA’s proud tradition of ensuring humane care and effective treatment for all individuals with mental disorders.

These programs are far-ranging and include fellowships and grants to foster careers in psychiatric research, annual awards that honor and recognize exceptional psychiatric achievements—including awards honoring outstanding women, minorities, and international medical graduates—and support for mental health services and policy research carried out by the APF and APA’s Division of Research.

APF also conducts numerous public-education programs to promote awareness of mental illnesses and the effectiveness of treatment, the importance of early intervention, access to care, and the need for high-quality services and treatment for all members of our society. APF has selected some groups as particular priorities, and these include school children, military members and veterans, incarcerated people with mental illness, and those living with HIV.

When you purchase a ticket to the APF benefit event, you are supporting all of the above initiatives and more. As you take the elevator up to the LookOut level, know that the foundation is rising with you and getting closer to achieving its dream of mental health for all.

Not only that, but you get a chance to relax and mingle with colleagues at one of Toronto’s most popular tourist attractions, as the CN Tower hosts approximately 1.5 million visitors each year. In fact, this tower—built by Canadian National Railways in 1976—was classified as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1995. Standing more than 1,815 feet tall, it held the title of World’s Tallest Tower, Building, and Freestanding Structure from completion in 1976 until 2010.

Tickets for the benefit event will go on sale in March. ■

Information about APF can be accessed here.