Feel the glow: Lighting the way for kids’ mental health
Patient Story
Scott Tonelli remembers carrying his 14-year-old son into a waiting room at Waterloo Regional Health Network (WRHN) after a mental health-related episode 10 years ago.
The Tonelli family felt relief knowing their son was in the right place to get the care he needed.
There was one problem, however. With the mental health wing at capacity, the family had to wait for an open bed.
That delay in care led Scott to a decision: he was going to do anything he could to make sure kids in his community had access to the mental health support they needed – when they needed it.
Scott started small: saving his change from his morning coffee in hopes of buying a bed for the child and adolescent inpatient (CAIP) mental health unit at WRHN @ Midtown (formerly Grand River Hospital).
Then, one Christmas, a neighbour knocked on Scott’s door to comment on the lights on his house. The neighbour offered Scott a gift card to thank him for bringing joy to the community.
It was a gesture that ignited a bright idea.
“What if I could turn these Christmas lights into something people really wanted to see? What if I could set it to music and make the lights dance and do this whole big thing?” Scott thought.
And what if it inspired people to donate to children’s mental health programs?
In 2019, Scott launched his first Change 4 Change lightshow fundraiser, transforming his Arthur, Ont., home into a dazzling spectacle of blinking lights choreographed to holiday songs.
With each passing year, Change 4 Change has continued to grow. The installation now includes 15,000 pixel lights, 3,000 feet of wire, and months of meticulous planning and preparation.
Scott typically begins setting up in September, and runs his show every night from the end of November to early January. He has sourced specific lights, props, and equipment from across North America, making each show bigger, brighter, and more impactful than the last.
Neighbours and strangers alike have returned year after year to see Scott’s lights. Many have also opened up to him about their own struggles with mental health.
“If I can brighten someone’s darkest days, it makes all the work worth it,” Scott says.
The more we all talk about our experiences with mental health, the more we erase the stigma around it. It’s just like any other sickness: No one chooses to get bronchitis, like no one chooses to get a mental illness.
For Scott and his family, the holiday season is bittersweet. While they’re delighted to see the joy their lights bring others, they also wish the son who inspired the fundraiser could see it shine.
Now in his 20’s, Scott’s son hasn’t been home in a while, and Scott and his family don’t currently know where he is.
I used to say that I could make my house light up so bright you could see it from miles away. Maybe he’ll see it and find his way back home.
In five years, Scott has raised nearly $40,000 for kids’ mental health at WRHN thanks to the generosity of neighbours and donors who have supported by matching donations.
This year, he’s hoping to crack the $50,000 milestone – all to help ensure other families get the support they need.
We know that potentially, we’re going into another Christmas where we don’t see our son. Hopefully the money we raise means someone else doesn’t have to go through that.
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