The Altona Police Service (APS) is thrilled with the support and participation of the community during last month’s Push-Up Challenge.
The event was an initiative of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), pushing Canadians to get fit, have fun, and learn about mental health while raising funds for related programming.
From Feb. 1-23, over 49 million Canadians challenged themselves to complete 2,000 push-ups for the 20 per cent of Canadians who experience mental illness each year.
The 2024 event ended on a high note, with more than 40 million push-ups and over $2 million dollars raised across the country.
Cst. Tristan Fournier-Jones was the captain of the 11-member Team APS, which included not only members of the force but reached into the community as well, with Town of Altona staff and local residents joining in.
Initially, Fournier-Jones was drawn to the idea as a way for first responders to support mental health, as they frequently deal with people who are in mental crisis.
“It really looked doable and fun,” he said, adding it was “a great way to get the community involved and talking about the subject and bring awareness.”
People began donating even before the challenge officially began; it took less than 24 hours for Team APS to reach their target of $500.
In the end, they collected $1,535 for CMHA and completed 21,687 push-ups.
Also exceeding their $500 goal was the Altona fire department, whose eight-person team raised $565 and did 14,193 push-ups.
