Hope in Bloom

Inside the most important night of the year for Alberta’s  children 

On a wintry March evening, guests gathered under string lights and spring flowers —  and changed the lives of thousands of kids they’ll never meet.  

The party was in the garden — or at least in a setting made to look like one — and the place was buzzing. Flowers spilled from baskets and planters. Ivy cascaded over arbours.  A 30-foot tree stood beside a garden swing, its branches hung with ribbons bearing handwritten notes of hope addressed to unknown recipients, and beside a hedge, a pink telephone beckoned callers to leave messages of encouragement. Nearby, children performed musical pieces on a grand piano, while guests in garden-party attire filled the room with laughter and chatter. 

Outside, it was still winter. Inside, it was unmistakably spring. The warmth wasn’t just the string lights overhead or the 540 people glowing beneath them. It radiated from something deeper — a shared belief that no child in Alberta should face a mental health struggle alone, and a community willing to do something about it. 

On March 20, CASA Mental Health held its 13th annual gala, this year themed “Garden of Hope,” cementing its place as the most critical fundraising night of the year. Some guests have attended since the gala’s inception; others came for the first time, drawn by the depth of compassion that Edmonton and the entire province continue to show for its youngest and most vulnerable residents. 

Growth Through Leadership  

At the helm of CASA is Bonnie Blakley, a leader whose career has spanned health care,  government and the private sector — and whose personal philosophy is to “walk with  purpose and lead with grace.” As CEO, Bonnie has helped lead the expansion that has more than doubled the number of children CASA serves, championed the five-year strategic roadmap, and become one of Alberta’s most recognized voices on children’s mental health. In 2022, she was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee  Medal for her significant contributions to child and adolescent mental health. Her work is guided by a simple conviction: that every child deserves timely, compassionate care —  and that CASA will not stop until that is a reality. 

“Leadership is important, but being able to tell people our story and be relatable is also important,”  Blakley says. “Mental illness wasn’t always an acceptable topic. It also doesn’t discriminate, regardless of status or income bracket. CASA is for everyone.”

CASA Mental Health fills a gap that too many families have fallen into: the missing middle, the vast and underserved space between a family doctor’s office and the emergency room, where children in mental health crises go without specialized care. The need is surging. In just three years, CASA has more than doubled the number of children, youth and families it serves — from 4,000 to over 11,000 annually. As awareness of children’s mental health grows, more families are reaching out than ever before. CASA’s response is to grow and provide services where needed and in ways that fit within its expertise.  

A significant commitment now backs that growth. The Government of Alberta has pledged $75 million to fund four new CASA facilities across the province — in Calgary, Fort McMurray, Edmonton and Medicine Hat — along with operating funding for CASA  Houses once built. The government has asked CASA to match that capital investment, and CASA has answered with a bold campaign goal: $90 million to be raised between 2025 and 2029.  

That’s where your donation comes in.  

CASA is committing to match that $75 million, dollar-for-dollar, and raise an additional $15 million to fund the programs and services that will bring those buildings to life. Every gift helps fund new CASA Houses, adding capacity to serve up to 324 more youth each year with complex mental health needs, all closer to home. Donations also power wrap-around supports that work alongside families to build resilience, coping skills, and emotional security, recognizing that lasting recovery happens best when family is part of the journey.

The Spirit of Giving  

Behind CASA’s fundraising vision is Nadine Samycia, whose work turns community generosity into life-changing care. As Director of Philanthropy, Nadine leads the major initiatives that fuel CASA’s expansion — including the Garden of Hope Gala, the annual summer golf tournament, and strategic corporate partnerships that bring significant investment to children’s mental health. Among her and her team’s most notable achievements is a multi-million-dollar partnership with Suncor, designed specifically to close gaps in youth mental health care across Alberta. Her roots at CASA run deep: as former  Executive Director of the CASA Foundation, she was instrumental in the 2016 opening of CASA Centre, the Allendale facility in Edmonton — a 40,000-square-foot building purpose-built for sensory and therapeutic needs, and a milestone in what CASA could offer the children it serves. For Nadine, every dollar raised is a door opened for a child who needs it.  

“The Garden of Hope Gala was incredible,” says Samycia. “People are already reaching out to partner and reserve tables for next year. Something wonderful is happening, and  it goes beyond generosity (of funds); it’s a shared recognition that children’s mental  health matters, and there is a real desire to be part of the solution.” 

Rooted in Community  

There is a philosophy woven through everything CASA does, and Bonnie Blakley puts it plainly: community is everything. Kids need to be with their friends, their schools, the people and the places they know. The longer they are separated from those connections,  the harder the road back becomes. CASA’s model is built around this truth — keeping children rooted in their communities while they heal, rather than uprooting them from the very relationships that make recovery possible.  

This is why CASA Mental Health Classrooms — CASA’s school-based mental health programs — are located in schools in larger and smaller communities around Alberta. This is why new facilities are being built closer to where families already live. It is why CASA and First Nations communities walk the same path — because belonging is not a luxury in mental health care. It is the foundation on which everything else is built. “Community matters,” says Blakley. “Not just in CASA and the kids we serve, but broadly. You go anywhere, and people just want to feel like they belong. That there’s  hope.”  

Supporting CASA doesn’t always mean writing a cheque. More than 450 volunteers power CASA’s work every year — lending their time to everything from therapeutic program support and recreation instruction at CASA House, to fundraising events and administrative roles. Whether your gift is money or hours, CASA has a place for it. Every contribution, in every form, helps a child grow.  

Your support helps ensure that the foundation is strong — that CASA’s services can reach more kids, in more communities across Alberta, than ever before. This is how philanthropy begins: with a gift at whatever level feels right for you. Every donation is valuable. Every donor transforms a life. 

The Garden of Hope was this year’s theme, but every gala brings something new. The  2027 gala will have its own theme, its own magic — and its own chance to make a difference for Alberta’s children.  

Back in the garden at this year’s gala, a guest ties her note to a ribbon on the tree. She doesn’t know who will read her note. She may never know. But she writes it anyway — because that is what hope looks like. An act of faith in a stranger’s future. That is what CASA Mental Health does, every single day, and you can be part of it. Get help, or give help. Subscribe to casamentalhealth.org/newsletter for more information, and follow CASA on social media. 

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