U of S mental health initiatives receive million-dollar donation

A University of Saskatchewan alumnus is helping ensure students aren’t suffering in silence with a $1-million donation to fund mental health initiatives.

Tim Gitzel and his family are all U of S alumni, and just last week his daughter walked across the stage and received her diploma.

Gitzel, who serves as CEO of Cameco, expressed how important the school was – and continues to be – for him and his family. When looking for a department to direct his sizable donation to, he said he wanted his money to go to a place that could help as many students as possible.

“Rather than picking specific colleges we just said, ‘What could make a difference for the whole university?’ ” Gitzel explained.

When making the decision to donate to support mental health initiatives around the university, Gitzel said he was shocked to learn many students had to wait over a month to meet with a mental health professional. He said he wants to change that.

One mental health program in particular really stood out to Gitzel. Peer Mental Health Support is an initiative at the U of S which trains students in counselling and listening so they can help their peers. Gitzel said he wants programs like that to continue at the university.

“We got to meet some of those students. We toured through here last week,” said Gitzel. “I was almost in tears at the stories they tell, because they got help and now they’re helping others.”