Daniel O'Connell

Because Men Matter

I have always donated my time and money to worthy charities, but the older I became, the more I noticed that there were very few institutions that existed to support men.

There are few shelters for abused men (1 in 4 men have experienced domestic violence), very few mental health outreach programs exist that are specialized for men, and men continue to (very sadly) take their own lives at an astonishing rate. 1 in 8 men will also likely be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and yet its funding lags well behind other types of cancer research.

I applaud society for raising awareness of the challenges faced by any and all individuals, but in a world where there is still far too much pressure on men - a world that tells them that they have it easy just because they're men and that they should 'toughen up' and ignore physical and mental illnesses that can deprive families and communities of fathers, brothers, sons, mentors, colleagues, and other vital roles... well, I feel compelled to take action, especially as key men in my life might still be alive today if programs had existed and been better funded and promoted.

Please join me in donating to my campaign for The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride in honour of an important man that touches (or touched) your life.

PHOTO: Dad with one of his true heroes, Eeyore. I was very glad that I was able to take dad to Disneyland one last time before he passed.