The Royal held a gratitude dinner at special events venue Aquatopia on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, to recognize its donors’ contributions and impact. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Guests mingled over cocktails before sitting down for dinner, where they were welcomed by Foundation board chair Carmen Abela. The Foundation is preparing to launch a major campaign to help patients reclaim their lives from mental illness and addiction.

“Mental illness and addiction affect us as individuals; they affect our businesses, our families and our whole community,” said Abela, owner and managing director of WindReach Consulting Services. “Illness can isolate, stigmatize and overwhelm us. But with the right support, we can improve access to care and advance leading-edge research.”

Later, the crowd marked Abela’s birthday with a sweet treat topped with a lit candle and the whole room singing Happy Birthday.

Foundation board chair Carmen Abela wiped away a happy tear after being surprised on her birthday with a candlelit cupcake and a rendition of Happy Birthday from the audience. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Also at the podium was Melissa Kruyne, co-owner of family-owned building supply and construction products company KOTT and campaign co-chair with Yann Robard, managing partner of private equity firm Dawson.

Kruyne said she felt both honoured to accept her role and extremely aware of the responsibility that came with it. The co-chairs will be supported by a campaign cabinet, as well as their honorary chairs, former governor general David Johnston and his wife Sharon Johnston, and Ottawa Senators hockey hero Daniel Alfredsson.

Kruyne shared that she initially questioned whether she was ready to do this, and whether the community was ready to confront just how far-reaching the impacts of mental illness really are. “What I realized was, if not now, then when? Meaningful change doesn’t wait for the perfect moment. It waits for people to step up.

“Having the courage to go out in the community and profess why this cause is so important couldn’t make me prouder.”

Business leader Melissa Kruyne, co-owner of  KOTT Inc., spoke about why she agreed to co-chair the Reclaimed Lives campaign for The Royal. Photo by Caroline Phillips

The Royal sees 15,000 patients every year, according to Foundation president and CEO Chris Ide. “Every one of them is trying to reclaim something meaningful to them — their work, their relationships, their purpose, their health or even their sense of self.”

In keeping with the reason for the event, Ide thanked the guests for their generosity, noting their support “gives people a chance to take back what these illnesses have stolen from them and become who they were meant to be.

“Because of you, access is improving, outcomes are improving, and treatments are becoming more personalized and more effective,” he said.

The human impact of those numbers was heard during a panel discussion expertly led by mental health advocate Lee Rose, who lost his partner to suicide three years ago. He guided the conversation with kindness, understanding and strong listening skills. Rose, who’s the manager of community engagement at TD Bank, previously shared his story before hundreds at The Royal’s fundraising breakfast in 2023.

As Rose pointed out, mental illness is not like the flu or common cold. “It’s something you’re going to have to live with; you’re not going to get over it.”

From left, mental health advocate and panel moderator Lee Rose and Chris Ide, president and CEO of The Royal, at a special dinner held Wednesday, April 22, 2026. Photo by Caroline Phillips

The audience also heard from Rachel Scott-Mignon, who was diagnosed 20 years ago with bipolar disorder, which is characterized by extreme mood swings. She has since cycled through 50 prescribed medications in a trial-and-error effort to manage her illness.

“I had a lot of hope that I would find the treatment and feel better, but that really hasn’t been the case. I mean, I’m better than I was, and I have hope for the future. It’s been rough.”

It was the kind of honesty that made clear there are no guaranteed happy endings, only resilience, persistence and hope.

Scott-Mignon also spoke openly about what she has lost along the way. Most heartbreaking was not experiencing motherhood, as well as jobs, confidence and, at times, her physical health.

She expressed gratitude for the care she has received at The Royal. “I’d even go so far as to say they saved my life on more than one occasion,” said Scott-Mignon, noting her respect for psychiatrist Dr. David Atwood, who was seated at her table near the front. “He really is the most kind and compassionate person, and it would not be an understatement to say he has positively changed my life.”

Rachel Scott-Mignon, left, reconnects with her friend Sharon Johnston at a donor appreciation dinner hosted by The Royal. Photo by Caroline Phillips

The audience also heard from a mother, Maria Ritchie, who described her daughter’s depression and anxiety as “a light thief” that has drained her energy and life in the past until she became a faded version of herself. “You know they have so much to offer, and that’s not who they are.”

Her daughter, Michelle Chapin, is doing much better now after receiving treatment at The Royal. “It was more than just a doctor with a prescription pad. It was people who cared deeply about what they were doing, who believed in it and who listened to her so she felt seen and heard.”

The mother reminded guests that treatment is not “a silver bullet” but a step in the right direction. “In the deepest, darkest moment when you think there is no hope, there is. There is a tomorrow.”

That doesn’t mean the hard times won’t ever return, she said. “There are cloudy days, but there are also great days when the sun does come out, and it’s a wonderful thing.”

After dinner, The Royal’s president and CEO Cara Vaccarino took to the stage with colleagues Dr. Florence Dzierszinski, president and CEO of The Royal’s research institute, and Dr. Benoit Mulsant, interim chief of staff at The Royal, to talk about the direction that research and treatment is headed, thanks to science, technology and donor support. They talked about the brain as the second most complex thing in the universe, after the universe.

“We have learned more about the brain over the past 20 years than in the entire history of humankind,” said Dr. Mulsant, who pointed out how common devices such as Apple phones and Apple watches can now track sleep quality more accurately than our own perception.

He said the funds raised through the campaign will improve the experience of patients who receive care at The Royal, while Dr. Dzierszinski said it will help provide “the right treatment for the right person at the right time.”

From left, Chris Ide, president and CEO of the Foundation, moderated a panel discussion with The Royal’s president and CEO Cara Vaccarino, interim chief of staff Dr. Benoit Mulsant, and Dr. Florence Dzierszinski, president and CEO of The Royal’s research institute. Photo by Caroline Phillips

The room heard about plans to open an urgent care clinic within the next two to three months to help address the city’s mental health crisis and long wait times at hospital emergency departments.

“It’s going to be game-changing,” said Vaccarino of how The Royal is addressing a gap in the system that was brought to her attention shortly after she stepped into her leadership role just over two years ago.

The clinic had a soft launch a couple of weeks ago and is already accepting referrals from local emergency departments.

“It’s not a one-and-done ‘thank you, you’re on your way.’ It’s a wraparound set of interventions that help ensure stabilization,” said Vaccarino.

“This urgent care will help reduce pressure on local emergency departments, but it will also be a tremendous relief to primary care physicians,” she said, noting that front-line doctors manage about 85 per cent of mild to moderate mental health cases. “When they get in over their head, they have nowhere to turn. Now they can send patients directly to urgent care, where they can receive specialized psychiatric assessment and follow-up treatment immediately.”

Vaccarino continued: “This is critically important from a clinical perspective because we know the longer people with psychiatric illness wait, the more unwell they become, and the harder it is to help them recover.”

Her words were in keeping with one of the evening’s main messages: that mental health care that comes sooner, smarter and with compassion can be the difference between people slipping further into crisis or finding a way back to reclaim their lives.

Former governor general David Johnston and Cara Vaccarino, president and CEO of The Royal, at The Royal’s dinner held Wednesday, April 22, 2026. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Foundation president and CEO Chris Ide, right, and his husband, school vice-principal Nick Carkner, seen listening to a panel discussion featuring patients and a caregiver from The Royal. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Foundation board member Matt Skube, seen with his mother, Caroline Golden, came up from Toronto, where the freelance news anchor, host and reporter is now working, to attend a dinner for supporters of The Royal. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Technology mentor and advisor and angel investor Jennifer Francis at a donor appreciation dinner held for supporters of The Royal. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, moderator Lee Rose joined Maria Ritchie, mother of a patient, and patients Carl Bernade and Rachel Scott-Mignon for a panel discussion during a donor appreciation dinner hosted by The Royal. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Carmen Abela, board chair of the Foundation, fellow board member Julie Champagne, managing director of corporate services at the Bank of Canada and board vice-chair of the Ottawa Community Foundation, and Michael Maidment, president and CEO of the Ottawa Community Foundation, at The Royal’s gratitude dinner. Photo by Caroline Phillips.

From left, Amy Tomlinson, Melissa Kruyne, Sharon Johnston and former governor general David Johnston at a special dinner hosted by The Royal at special events venue Aquatopia in Carp. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Elliott Klein and Julia Bland, a mental health advocate and communications and public relations professional, at a gratitude dinner hosted by The Royal for its donors and supporters. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, moderator Lee Rose presented artwork created by his late partner, Charles-Eric Laperrière, to panelists Maria Ritchie, Rachel Scott-Mignon and Carl Bernade, who shared personal stories as either the parent of a patient at The Royal or as patients themselves. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Ottawa businessman Larry Kelly and John Riddell, in conversation at the cocktail reception, were guests of a gratitude dinner for donors and supporters of The Royal. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Dr. Florence Dzierszinski (centre), president and CEO of The Royal’s research institute, in conversation during the cocktail reception portion of a gratitude dinner held for donors of The Royal. Photo by Caroline Phillips

KOTT Inc. co-owner Melissa Kruyne, who has stepped forward to take on a volunteer fundraising leadership role with The Royal, during a lighter moment at the gratitude dinner held for donors of The Royal. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Jordana Vered, Elizabeth Vered and Danya Vered were guests of a gratitude dinner held for donors and supporters of The Royal at special events venue Aquatopia. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Lee Rose (centre), manager of community engagement for TD, led one of the panel discussions with patients of The Royal during a gratitude dinner held for donors and supporters of The Royal. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Volunteer fundraiser Richard Getz, a past board member with the Foundation, and director of leasing at Marcus & Millichap, and his wife Kathie Getz were guests of a gratitude dinner hosted for donors and supporters of The Royal. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Foundation board member Indy Bal and his wife Jessy Bal at a gratitude dinner hosted for donors and supporters of The Royal. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Chris Ide, president and CEO of the Foundation, on stage at a gratitude dinner held at special events venue Aquatopia. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Steve Adams and his wife, Jennifer Francis, who’s a cabinet member with the Royal’s new campaign, and Jennifer Mondoux, chair and founder of MondouxRollins Partners, at a gratitude dinner hosted for donors and supporters of The Royal. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Guests, including Kyle MacHutchon (left), delivered a standing ovation to patients from The Royal who shared their personal stories during a gratitude dinner held for donors on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. Photo by Caroline Phillips

This article is made possible through sponsorship from Star Motors, WEALTH (WCPD), Syntax Strategic, RBC, Marilyn Wilson Dream Properties, ExecHealth, Altis Recruitment, Bell Canada, First Avenue Investment Counsel, Welch LLP, and Brazeau Seller Law.
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