{"id":55983,"date":"2025-06-20T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaker.ca\/?p=55364"},"modified":"2025-06-20T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T14:00:00","slug":"thunderbirds-score-big-for-mental-health-qeii-abbie-j-lane-gymnasium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/?p=55983","title":{"rendered":"Thunderbirds score big for mental health, QEII Abbie J. Lane Gymnasium"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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HALIFAX:<\/strong> The Halifax Thunderbirds have capped off their most successful season yet with a powerful win off the field \u2014 raising an incredible $88,542 for mental health care at the QEII Health Sciences Centre. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team\u2019s fundraising efforts throughout the 2024-2025 NLL season have completed funding for the long-awaited transformation of the gymnasium at the QEII\u2019s Abbie J. Lane Building \u2014 a mental health space critical to the wellness and recovery of patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This generous donation to the QEII Foundation \u2014 raised through 50\/50 draws at every Thunderbirds home game, a jersey raffle and more \u2014 will help reimagine the outdated gym into a modern, multi-functional space with new equipment, games and safety features, supporting physical activity as a key pillar of care for mental health patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As part of their standout season, which saw them tie a franchise-best 11 victories, finish third overall, and win their first-ever home playoff game in Halifax, the Thunderbirds named the QEII Foundation their charity of choice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In doing so, they rallied fans and brought vital awareness to mental health and addictions services in Nova Scotia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor decades, the gymnasium at the Abbie J. Lane Building has been a vital part of patients\u2019 healthcare journey,\u201d says Matt White, Director of Mental Health and Addictions for Nova Scotia Health\u2019s Central Zone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are very excited that, as a result of this fundraising, the gym will be a safe and supportive environment for the recovery and wellness of mental health patients for years to come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The positive effects of physical exercise and activity on patients is well documented, and the modernization of this facility will ensure that they will continue to have a dedicated space to reap those benefits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We are thankful for the collaboration with the Halifax Thunderbirds and the QEII Foundation on this campaign and look forward to work getting underway on this transformative project.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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With this $88,000 gift, the QEII Foundation has officially reached its $340,500 fundraising goal for the\u00a0Abbie J. Lane gym enhancement<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to the Halifax Thunderbirds and the support of other likeminded donors, this transformation is fully funded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a fitting full-circle moment: as the Thunderbirds close one of the most exciting chapters in their franchise\u2019s history, the next chapter begins for mental health patients with these exciting renovations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gym serves patients receiving care through the QEII\u2019s Abbie J. Lane Building \u2014 home to a range of mental health and addictions programs that support both inpatients and outpatients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those requiring inpatient treatment, who can spend up to 40 days in hospital, this space plays a particularly vital role in their recovery journey. Exercise and recreational therapy are key components of care, with proven benefits for improving mood, reducing anxiety and depression, and enhancing daily functioning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For many patients, this gym is more than a place to move \u2014 it\u2019s a space where they can engage in exercise and recreational activities, connect with others, and rebuild confidence on their path to recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Halifax Thunderbirds are honoured to help improve mental health services in Nova Scotia,\u201d says John Catalano, President and CEO of the Halifax Thunderbirds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur players, staff and fans embraced this cause because we believe in supporting the health of our community, on and off the floor. We\u2019re proud to have played a small role in the success of this important project.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This donation is part of the QEII Foundation\u2019s $100-million\u00a0We Are campaign<\/a>, aimed at transforming health care at the QEII and across the province. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And thanks to the Thunderbirds \u2014 and the thousands of fans who joined their mission \u2014 that transformation is already underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re deeply grateful to the Halifax Thunderbirds for their incredible leadership and generosity,\u201d says Susan Mullin, President and CEO of the QEII Foundation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTheir efforts have united fans and donors to champion an essential part of mental health care. Thanks to their support, the gym at the Abbie J. Lane Building will soon be renewed and reimagined \u2014 giving patients and care teams access to the space, equipment and resources they need during the recovery journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It\u2019s a true assist in transforming care for Nova Scotians.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[adrotate banner=”127″] [adrotate banner=”126″] HALIFAX: The Halifax Thunderbirds have capped off their most successful season yet with a powerful win off the field \u2014 raising an incredible $88,542 for mental health care at the QEII Health Sciences Centre. The team\u2019s fundraising efforts throughout the 2024-2025 NLL season have completed funding for the long-awaited transformation of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":56138,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[957,21],"tags":[8617,8618,50,8619,2496,4008,6202],"class_list":["post-55983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-sports","tag-abbie-j-lane-building","tag-abiie-j-lane-building","tag-halifax","tag-hlaifax-thunderbirds","tag-lacrosse","tag-qeii","tag-qeii-foundation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=55983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55983\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/56138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=55983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=55983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=55983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}