The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto will be furthering much-needed training, research and outreach into paediatric mental health thanks to a $2 million commitment today from RBC.

Today’s official announcement is part of a week-long employee celebration of RBC “Putting Communities First,” that this evening will see hundreds of committed RBC employees walking five kilometres to SickKids in support of the hospital.

This $2 million gift from the RBC Foundation will allow SickKids to share critical knowledge with remote communities and focus on advanced training opportunities in clinical research through fellowships while providing seed funding for new research opportunities.

“Our ultimate goal is to find the causes of behavioural and emotional problems affecting children and adolescents in order to sharpen our treatment interventions. Our hope is that greater knowledge will reduce stigma and help improve long-term outcomes for children and youth,” said Abel Ickowicz, Psychiatrist-in-Chief at SickKids, in a news release. “Research and innovation is critical to open up the dialogue with all of our communities to share critical information and improve access to care for all children and their families.”

“This gift recognizes the importance of investing in children’s mental health today, so that we can make the adult health system more sustainable in the future,” Dr. Ickowicz added.

The announcement at the conclusion of the 20th Annual RBC SickKids Walkathon.

“RBC is proud to be putting communities first,” said Jennifer Tory, RBC regional president, Greater Toronto Region. “We’ve partnered with SickKids for the past 20 years because we know it is vitally important for the future well being of our children. SickKids is known for its research discoveries, and we are excited about the possibilities of this gift and its impact on the communities where our employees live and work.”