Many will recognize the sonorous tones of Ted Michaels, from his years on-air at CHML. These days, the semi-retired broadcaster is using his voice to advocate and raise money for mental health initiatives.
As part of that effort, he is bringing multi-award-winning, platinum-selling artist Matt Dusk and his Sinatra-style swagger to Burlington for a show on Sept. 21.
“Matt’s going to come and do his Sinatra thing. He’s an outstanding performer, and I’m looking forward to working with him and raising money for CMHA Halton,” says Michaels.
In 2014, Michaels created and hosted a four-week series dealing with mental health called Wellness Wednesdays. It was a live show that talked about how to help people suffering from various mental health issues and featured a broad spectrum of experts and special guests who discussed being diagnosed and treated. The series won a National Champions of Mental Health Award that was presented to Michaels in Ottawa by Governor General David Johnston in 2015.
The series became The Health and Wellness Show and ran until 2021.
“At times, when you’re on the air, you don’t know the number of people listening or who you’re touching," says Michaels. "The most vivid reactions in those first couple of years were from a show on parents who have lost their kids to suicide. There was an email from a woman saying, ‘I heard your show. I need to talk to the woman you had that lost her son to suicide because I think my son is going through the same issues.’ I ended up connecting her with the guest that we had.
"From that first seed, I realized we had something special, and I had to continue with this thing.”
Michaels made his own issues with anxiety and depression public on air and during last year’s first fundraiser for Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Halton.
“It was called The Long Road Back because I had noticed talking to experts during and just after the pandemic, that while COVID came and went, it left a lot of damage,” he says. “There’s still a lot of people suffering that aren’t willing to talk about it, specifically men. They keep everything inside.
"It’s a small thing, but one friend can say to another, ‘I notice you’re a little bit off. What’s going on?’ That’s the first thing people can do is to have that conversation. I know it’s a fine line between asking and intruding, but that first step could be really important in helping that person recover."
Michaels points out that mental health should be viewed the same as physical health.
"If you break your arm, you go to the doctor, and they put a cast on. If you have a fever, you take medication. Why is mental health care any different? This is something that has been hidden for a long time; it’s time to shine a light on it.”
Last year’s fundraiser raised $25,000 for the CMHA Halton's programs and initiatives, and Michaels hopes to do the same or more this year.
Tickets for the Sept. 21 Stand Up, Speak Out show at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre are $80 and are available here.
