This winter, Ottawa-based Celebright is showing people that there is a light at the end of the tunnel – or rather throughout the tunnel – to raise awareness for mental health.
Celebright, a permanent holiday lighting company, is behind the Twinkle Tunnel, a 40-foot lit pedestrian tunnel on display at the Ottawa Christmas Market until Jan. 5.
Through a partnership with the CHEO Foundation, Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) Foundation, Ottawa Public Health, and the Canadian Mental Health Association, the interactive display aims to raise awareness about mental health around the holidays – a time that can be isolating for some.
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Dan Junkins, CEO and founder of Celebright, said he wanted to do something to highlight that mental health struggles remain a prevalent issue, especially after the pandemic.
“We have a little over 50 people that work for Celebright in Ottawa and it’s crazy how many people are impacted directly or firsthand through a family member with mental health problems. I also had an experience with my family and we really felt how much work there is to do in that space and how challenging it can be to navigate,” Junkins said.
Near the tunnel, visitors can scan a QR code that leads to a web page showing people how they can support those in need, from donation links to how to be a mental health ally. It aims to be a simplified resource for those who want to make a difference.
“I think one of the challenges that I certainly faced when entering the mental health space was that it was like drinking from a firehose. As soon as you go to any of these websites, you just get bombarded, and there’s so much information coming from so many different places. We’re really trying to unify and simplify the message to make it digestible for the average person,” Junkins said.
He hopes that by simplifying a list of resources and ways to help, he can bring some clarity to a system that Junkins says feels “fragmented.”
“If you’re outside and don’t know the space, there’s a high barrier of entry compared to traditional medicine. If you break your arm, you know where to go, the steps are really clear. Mental health is a different ecosystem,” he said. “We want to champion the change. Our partners are working on that as well, so we’re just a small cog in that.”
Junkins hopes the magical light display acts as a photo opportunity for visitors to facilitate spreading the message.
Junkins and the Celebright team were approached to put together the display through a previous partnership with OSEG, by way of Celebright’s sponsorship of the Ottawa 67s and the Redblacks.
“It was kind of like all the stars aligned and they were looking for an installation for the market and we had the technical expertise to do it. It was really friction-free,” he said.
Celebright is committed to putting its Twinkle Tunnel on display for the next three years and hopes to bring it to Winterlude in coming years. This year’s display is going to be available to view throughout the World Junior Hockey Championships from Dec. 26-Jan. 5, during which time Junkins says Celebright will coordinate the colours of the tunnel’s lights to the teams playing that day.
Junkins said he hopes to continue to give back to the community, and not only during the holiday season.
“Celebright is involved in a bunch of charitable things within the community. We’re very core values-centric. A lot of our energy goes into giving back to the community in some way. We want to be good stewards of the community,” he said.
At the end of the day, Junkins hopes visitors will take away the core message of the initiative – any help, whether it’s a donation or a kind gesture, can mean the world to someone.
“The whole idea is to empower people. Even if you contribute something small, it can make a huge difference. You can be somebody’s someone. Don’t be intimidated thinking that you need to change the whole world. Start with your street and go from there,” Junkins said.
