Message from our leadership
Charles Brown Chair, Board of Directors
Jules Koostachin Co-Chair, Indigenous Advisory Council
Matthew McLaughlin
Co-Chair, National Youth Council
In times of hope or crisis, optimism or despair, you show up — advocating, investing, volunteering, partnering — to ensure that Kids Help Phone can continue to be there when, where and how young people need us.
Together, we’re always there. Today, more than ever, we need to be.
Over the past 30 years, we have been there for youth across Canada through extraordinary shifts in technology, politics and culture. We’ve been there through major world events, national tragedies and local challenges.
Today, we’re here as young people grapple with climate change, cyberbullying and now a global pandemic — on top of the struggles they already face related to friendships, relationships, family, school and so much more.
Read moreINNOVATION AND EVOLUTION
How you
showed up for youth
In 2019, young people in every province and territory of Canada reached out to Kids Help Phone in unprecedented numbers. This surge in demand was in direct response to transformational innovations in technology and service availability that dramatically enhanced young people’s ability to access support at the moment they needed it.
Read moreBy the numbers: Your impact on youth in Canada

71.5%
increase in overall demand from 2018 to 2019

199000
conversations with young people through phone, chat and text

1.9 Million
contacts with young people, or 5,270 daily interactions (19% increase from 2018)

1.7 Million
visits to self-directed online tools and resources, or 4,700 visits per day (53% increase from 2018)
Your support makes it possible for us to be there, always. Thank you for showing up for youth, every day.

Patrick and Barbara Keenan Foundation invests in the next phase of technology-driven evolution
In 2019, Kids Help Phone was thrilled to announce a major new investment from long-time supporter the Patrick and Barbara Keenan Foundation to enable the next bold new phase in our evolution: the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to connect young people more effectively and more efficiently with the support they need at the moment they need it.
Read moreAlways there:
30 years of Kids Help Phone
To mark the milestone 30th anniversary of Kids Help Phone, we published a special history of the organization and its evolving impact on young people across Canada over the past three decades — made possible every step of the way by the enduring commitment, compassion and generosity of our extraordinary community of donors and supporters.
As the nation’s young people have changed, we’ve changed with them. Always there.
Read NowYOUTH VOICES AND HUMAN IMPACT
The state of youth mental health in Canada today
Less than 20%
of young people in Canada in need of mental health support are able to receive it.
Indigenous youth
Rates of suicide among First Nations youth are five to six times higher than settler youth, while suicide rates among Inuit youth are up to 10 times higher.
Young people
between the ages of 15 and 24 are more likely to experience mental ill-health than any other age demographic.
Suicide
is the second leading cause of death for young people in Canada between 10 and 24.
Help us show up for youth today and every day. Learn more and donate.
COMMUNITIES MOBILIZED
Kids Help Phone’s incredible community of donors, volunteers and supporters showed up for youth with courage, conviction and determination like never before in 2019. Here, we’ve put the spotlight on a few of the champions who made a difference and achieved major milestones in their support for youth mental health.
Walk so Kids Can Talk presented by BMO
On May 5, 2019, people across Canada united in support of Kids Help Phone at the 18th annual Walk so Kids Can Talk.
Read moreBoston Pizza Foundation "Future Prospects"
Boston Pizza Foundation is showing up for youth! Since 1995, Boston Pizza Foundation’s Future Prospects giving program has raised $4 million for Kids Help Phone as part of its mission to inspire kids across Canada to achieve their greatest potential.
Read moreThe Grocery Foundation’s Night to Nurture Gala
2019 marked the milestone 40th anniversary of The Grocery Foundation’s Night to Nurture Gala, one of the largest fundraising dinners in North America.
Read more15th annual Homes for the Holidays
In late November 2019, Vancouverites participated in the 15th annual Homes for the Holidays, a two-day self-guided home tour and Kids Help Phone fundraiser that’s become a beloved annual tradition.
Read more10th annual Ruth Goldbloom Ladies Golf Classic
The 10th annual Ruth Goldbloom Ladies Golf Classic was another wonderful day on the green in support of Kids Help Phone!
Read moreSinger Shawnee on being an advocate for LGBTQ2S+ youth
“I want youth to feel in charge of their own well-being, even when the world in their moment is not something they have control of."
Read moreIn November, our founding partners — Bell, BMO, Nestlé Canada and Parmalat Canada — came together for an unforgettable evening of conversation about the state of youth mental health in Canada today, 30 years after they first joined forces to help launch Kids Help Phone.
National Hockey League Players’ Association
Beginning with the 2017-18 hockey season, the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) launched a three-year partnership with Kids Help Phone to show up for youth by raising awareness about youth mental health in communities across Canada.
On the surface, Tonia Jahshan seemed to have it all. Her premier tea business — Sipology by Steeped Tea — was booming thanks to her successful 2012 pitch on Dragons’ Den, which won the support of investors Jim Treliving and David Chilton. She had three beautiful children. She was a role model for women entrepreneurs everywhere.
Message from Kathy
Katherine Hay President & CEO
It takes a nation to show up for youth.
Young people in Canada are facing a historic mental health crisis. From cyberbullying to climate change, economic uncertainty to a global pandemic, the challenges facing young people today are greater and more complex than ever before.
But they are never alone. With your support — your tireless generosity, advocacy and volunteerism — Kids Help Phone is there, always, in every moment of need and at any time of day or night. We are there because you make it possible for us to be.
Read moreFINANCIALS AND DONORS
In 2019, Kids Help Phone’s team of professional counsellors and trained volunteer Crisis Responders fielded a record 1.9 million interactions with young people across Canada. Thanks to our dedicated donors and government partners, it was a year of extraordinary growth as we developed increasingly innovative solutions to meet ever-growing demand.
Thank you for showing up for youth!
2019 Revenue | Amount | % Total of Revenue |
---|---|---|
Events | $6,183,930 | 29.8% |
General Donations and Grants | $6,483,880 | 31.3% |
Government Grants | ||
— Service Delivery | $4,539,184 | 21.9% |
— Good2Talk* | $3,373,452 | 16.3% |
Other | $149,549 | 0.7% |
Total$20,729,995 |
2019 Expenses | Amount | % Total of Expenses |
---|---|---|
Service Delivery | ||
— Kids Help Phone | $10,693,495 | 52.4% |
— Good2Talk* | $3,373,452 | 16.5% |
Fundraising | $4,585,920 | 22.5% |
Administration and Other | $1,770,788 | 8.7% |
Total$20,423,655 |
*Good2Talk: Kids Help Phone provides professional telephone counselling 24/7 to post-secondary students as a project partner in this Ontario and Nova Scotia Government-funded initiative.
Kids Help Phone is proud to be accredited with the Imagine Canada Standards Program, which holds us to the highest standards of ethical and financial accountability. The Standards Program Trustmark is a mark of Imagine Canada used under license by Kids Help Phone.
If you have any questions about how we fundraise, please contact us at 1-800-268-3062. Complete audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 are available upon request and on our website.
Since 1989, Kids Help Phone has shown up for youth by advocating for their mental health and pioneering new technology to offer them support. Our supporters ensure young people are never alone by providing them with 24/7 access to e-mental health support.
Thank you to all of our wonderful donors and government partners who ensure young people get the support they need, when they need it most.
Government Partners
The Government of Canada
The Government of Alberta
The Government of New Brunswick
The Government of the Northwest Territories
The Government of Nova Scotia
The Government of Ontario
The Government of Saskatchewan
Founding Partners
Bell Canada
BMO Financial Group
Lactalis Canada
Nestlé Canada
$500,000+
Anonymous
Canada Health Infoway
The Grocery Foundation
$250,000+
Boston Pizza Foundation Future Prospects
IWK Health Centre
Marshalls, a division of TJX Canada
RBC Foundation
The Slaight Family Foundation
$100,000+
AIR MILES® Rewards Program
Anonymous
The Co-operators Group Limited
Dalhousie University
Sophie Desmarais
Great West Life / London Life / Canada Life
Patrick and Barbara Keenan Foundation
Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
The Source Bell Electronics
SYNNEX Canada
$50,000+
Canada Post Community Foundation
Estate of Jane Cox
The Walt Disney Company
Farm Business Consultants Inc.
Landmark Cinemas
Steve Laut, Lori Egger, Danae and Tristan Laut
Ledcor Group
Vale
The Werklund Foundation
W. Brett Wilson
$10,000+
American Eagle Outfitters Foundation
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Aon in Canada
Salman Asaf
The Azrieli Foundation
Bell Media
Bereskin & Parr LLP
J.P. Bickell Foundation
Bluenotes
Charles and Kathryn Brown
The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited
Calgary Foundation
Campbell Company of Canada
CCL Group
CIBC Children’s Foundation
CKNW Kids' Fund
Coaching Association of Canada
George and Tami Cope
Desjardins Foundation
Pamela Dillon & Family Gift Fund
Laura Dobson
Dominos Pizza of Canada
Earlston Investments Corp.
Russell A. Farrow Limited
Jane Filbee
First Choice Haircutters
Greg Flannagan
Ronen Fleischmann Memorial Fund
Friends First Organization
General Mills Canada
Frederick Ghahramani
Giant Tiger Stores Limited
The R K Grant Family Foundation
Paul and Sue Griffith Foundation
Halifax Youth Foundation
Kathy Hay
Audrey S. Hellyer Charitable Foundation
Husky Energy
Ted and Enid Jansen Fund at the Calgary Foundation
Kal Tire
KPMG Vaughan Metropolitan Centre
Lang Family Foundation
Bernard le Duc and Femke De Meester
LifeLabs
Tom Little and Ann Sutherland
Jack and Faye MacDonald
Macdonald Youth Services
Paul and Lia Marcotte
MaxWell Realty Inc.
Brian McIntosh
The Moller Family Foundation
Mucho Burrito, a division of MTY Group
Graham Munro Charitable Foundation
National Hockey League Players’ Association
The Nicola Family
Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation
Wendy Paquette
Pitblado Family Foundation
Andree Rheaume and Robert Fitzhenry Family Foundation
Lynn Roger
Royal Bank of Canada
Richard Rudderham and Diane Kennedy
Silver Icing Inc.
SYNNEX on behalf of Y.S. Educational Foundation
TD Bank Group
ADT by TELUS
The Tenaquip Foundation
Mr. Eric Tripp and Mrs. Maria Smith
True Patriot Love Foundation
United Way Newfoundland and Labrador
Walmart Canada
Wheaton Precious Metals Corp.
The Wolrige Foundation
Youth Mental Health and Technology PRISM
OUR PEOPLE
Thank you to the inspiring volunteers and staff who courageously stepped up to give young people a lifeline of help and hope.
Thank you to the inspiring volunteers and staff who courageously stepped up to give young people a lifeline of help and hope.
Chair
Charles BrownOntario President & CEO LifeLabs
Vice Chair
Lynn RogerOntario Global Head, Employee Experience & Workplace Transformation, Human Resources (Retired) BMO Financial Group
Treasurer
Dwayne VinckAlberta Chartered Accountant
Secretary
Hatty ReismanOntario Lawyer Reisman Law Offices
Board of Directors
Kevin ChanOntario Global Director of Public Policy, Canada Facebook | Instagram
Tami CopeOntario Director (Retired) Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Mike DavisNova Scotia Partner Davis Pier Consulting
Lori Egger, PhD, R.PsychAlberta Psychologist
Carolyn P. EversonOntario President The Everson Company
Bianca Fusco ZanattaBritish Columbia Principal M. Zanatta Homes & Designs
Scott GoodmanOntario Chief People and Legal Affairs Officer Avante Logixx
Michael GreenOntario President & CEO Canada Health Infoway
Paul GriffithNova Scotia Founder Over The Edge
Gordon HicksOntario CEO BGIS
François HudonQuebec Head, North American Customer Contact Centers (CCC) BMO Financial Group
Jules Koostachin, PhDBritish Columbia PhD Candidate at UBC, Filmmaker
Christine LithgowOntario President & CEO (Retired) Aon Reed Stenhouse Inc.
Tim McGuireOntario CEO Mobile Klinik
Matthew McLaughlinNew Brunswick Chair Kids Help Phone National Youth Council
Jennifer MillsNova Scotia Chief Operating Officer Smallfood Inc.
Jayne PayetteOntario President, Ice Cream Division Nestlé Canada
Brian RossOntario President & CEO Precima Inc
Dr. Valerie Taylor, PhDAlberta Department Head, Psychiatry University of Calgary
Sharon Wyse HrdlitschkaBritish Columbia Senior Account Executive (Retired) Bell
Iven ZanardoOntario General Manager Foodservice, Ingredients and Export Parmalat Canada
Co-Chairs
Jules Koostachin, PhD
Ashley Rose Cummings
Members
Andre Bear
Michael Redhead Champagne
Randall Crowe
Kieran B. Drachenberg
Reina Foster
Robert Henry, PhD
Evan Sault
Brittany Whynot
Roda Grey
Co-Chairs
Matthew McLaughlin
David Fan
Communication Coordinator
Julia Caddy
Members
Jahmar James
Kate Lau
Katie Clarke
Kieran Drachenber
Mehul Gupta
Nazanin Soghrati
Phyllis Huang
Maxine Chevrier
Zuhal Ahmadi
Laetitia Rajput
Harjot Kular
Hailey Noseworthy
Haley Marion McLean
River Turner