Angie Green-Hill’s fundraiser has raised more than $127,000 for OSMH mental health programs<\/p>\n
Angie Green-Hill was lying in bed with a broken foot when the idea came to her.<\/p>\n
She had just completed the mental health day program at Orillia Soldiers\u2019 Memorial Hospital (OSMH), an experience she credits with helping her rebuild her life. Unable to move for weeks, she began thinking about how she could give back.<\/p>\n
That moment became the beginning of something far bigger than she ever imagined.<\/p>\n
Now, 10 years later, Green-Hill is preparing to host the final edition of her annual Mental Health Online Auction, a community-driven fundraiser that has raised more than $127,500 in support of OSMH\u2019s mental health department.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is going to be the last one,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The online auction, which supports programs on the hospital\u2019s sixth floor, has grown from a small Facebook group into a large-scale fundraiser powered almost entirely by local support.<\/p>\n
Green-Hill launched the auction following her own struggles with mental health. She said the care she received at OSMH\u2019s day program gave her the tools she needed to move forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey really saved my life,\u201d she said. \u201cThey taught me how to breathe through things, how to cope with stress.\u201d<\/p>\n
After finishing the program, she found herself sidelined with a broken foot, searching for a way to give back.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought, \u2018What can I do?\u2019 And I thought, \u2018This is how I\u2019m going to give back to the day program at the mental health at Soldiers\u2019 on C6.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
What followed was a decade of steady growth, community buy-in, and impact inside the hospital\u2019s mental health unit.<\/p>\n
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the auction reached its peak, raising approximately $22,000 in a single year.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople out of the woodwork I\u2019ve never even heard of were donating,\u201d Green-Hill said.<\/p>\n
Over time, the fundraiser expanded beyond anything she expected, evolving from a simple social media initiative into a dedicated online platform.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never imagined it would grow like this,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Despite its success, Green-Hill said the decision to step away comes down to the increasing difficulty of asking local businesses for donations during challenging economic times.<\/p>\n
\u201cI find it harder and harder and harder to ask people for donations,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cI know how hard it is, so I have a really hard time asking for donations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, she said, the community has continued to step up, often without being asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had people from Day 1\u00a0… say, \u2018We are going to sponsor you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
For Green-Hill, the most meaningful part of the journey has been seeing\u00a0where the money goes.<\/p>\n
At a recent hospital luncheon, she was shown how funds from the auction have been used across the mental health department.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey showed me where the money is going and, to me, that\u2019s what I love,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Funds have supported a range of initiatives, from recreation programming and exercise equipment to patient scrubs that offer more dignity than hospital gowns. Contributions have also helped expand crisis spaces in the emergency department and support therapeutic programs like music and pet therapy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to good things,” she said. \u201cThey\u2019re actually using the money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some of those changes are deeply personal.<\/p>\n
\u201cPet therapy\u00a0\u2014 that didn\u2019t happen when I was there,\u201d she said. \u201cNow, it\u2019s huge.\u201d<\/p>\n
The hospital has also invested in music therapy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s extremely fantastic. I helped do that. That\u2019s pretty cool,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Green-Hill\u00a0is proud not only of the money raised, but of what it represents.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really proud of our community for stepping up when you mention mental health. There\u2019s still that stigma,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Her own journey remains closely connected to the cause.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can breathe through an anxiety attack now,\u201d she said. \u201cI have coping skills. I know the steps.\u201d<\/p>\n
She still reflects on her time in the program, especially when she sees the impact of what the auction has helped create.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt brings you right back,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
When asked what she would say to the version of herself who was struggling, she said, \u201ckeep going.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHang in there. This, too, shall pass.\u201d<\/p>\n
As she prepares for the final auction, Green-Hill has set her most ambitious goal yet \u2014 $22,500, which would bring the fundraiser\u2019s 10-year total to an even $150,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not confident.\u00a0Not whatsoever,\u201d she said with a laugh. \u201cBut, you never know.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s auction will again feature a wide range of donated items from local businesses and community members, including gift cards, services, experiences, and specialty items, with a mix of longtime supporters and new contributors.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got some good ones up my sleeve,\u201d Green-Hill said.\u00a0<\/p>\n