Twenty years of supporting mental health through the Sandbar Mental Health Endowment

Created to provide funding for mental health programs, education and community outreach, the Sandbar Mental Health Endowment has supported innovative initiatives that improve the lives of people living with mental illness in Pictou County.

New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Friday, October 9, 2026, …. The Sandbar Mental Health Endowment takes its name from the Point 44 sandbar in Little Harbour, a place that held special meaning for four generations of the Bennett family.

“Although only a few hundred yards offshore, the beauty and peacefulness made it seem as if one’s troubles were miles away,” wrote Richard Bennett about the Point 44 sandbar. “That picture, I’m sure, relates to the wishes of many people struggling with mental illness.”

When Richard and Nancy Bennett established the Sandbar Mental Health Endowment through the Aberdeen Health Foundation in 2006, they chose its name in the hope it would represent a place of peace and support for people living with mental illness in Pictou County. Twenty years later, the endowment continues to do just that.

Now, a new generation is stepping forward to help. This fall, 10-year-old entrepreneur and hockey goalie Kit Leil has chosen the endowment as the community donation partner for Save Nation Hockey’s 2026 fall collection. A portion of proceeds from Kit’s sales will support mental health programs here in Pictou County.

Save Nation Hockey began as a way to help Kit participate in hockey training camps and tournament opportunities. As he built something of his own, he discovered it could also be an opportunity to give back to others. After reaching out to Aberdeen Health Foundation and exploring opportunities to support local health care, Kit chose Sandbar.

“I started Save Nation because I love hockey and wanted to make my own hockey brand,” explained Kit. “I’ve learned that it takes a lot of work to make something, and it feels really good that we can also use it to help other people.”

Kit’s support adds a new chapter to something the Bennett family started over two decades ago. Richard’s son, Peter Bennett, who later served on the Aberdeen Health Foundation’s Board of Directors, says the creation of the fund was shaped by personal experience. “My family had experience with mental health. We started to feel that there didn’t seem to be enough support at that time.”

In the early 2000s, much of the Foundation’s health care philanthropy was focused on equipment, but the Bennett family believed mental health required something different. “We didn’t want to focus on more of the same,” Peter explained. “We felt it was a matter of therapies, access to care, and support. We decided to form an endowment which would specifically support mental health initiatives in Pictou County.

“We asked local mental health providers what would make the biggest difference and they said one of the biggest struggles was getting clients to come in and get the services that they needed,” Peter recalled.

In response, the Bennett family’s company at the time, Stright-MacKay Ltd., donated a passenger van so clients could attend appointments and programs. “After we bought the van, attendance went way, way up, and everyone was just as happy as could be.”

More than a decade later, when it came time to replace the van, clients offered another valuable perspective. Rather than displaying the company’s name, they suggested leaving the program name off the vehicle so that clients’ participation in the program wouldn’t be made visible to the community. The company agreed, with the Bennetts choosing to prioritize the comfort and dignity of clients over public recognition.

Since its creation, the Sandbar Endowment has helped make possible a wide range of mental health initiatives throughout Pictou County. It has funded community education that challenged stigma and encouraged understanding, including presentations about living with psychosis that reached more than 1,000 local students. It has supported Mental Health First Aid training for teachers and school staff, equipping them with the knowledge and confidence to recognize when someone may be experiencing a mental health challenge and connect students with appropriate support.

The endowment has also been a long-time supporter of New Hope, Nova Scotia Health’s psychosocial rehabilitation program for people living with mental illness. The program helps participants build life skills, confidence, independence and social connections in a safe and supportive environment. Programming includes art, nutrition and kitchen skills, physical activity, mindfulness, games and music therapy, along with opportunities to practice skills in the community.

Melissa Yantzi, who manages Nova Scotia Health’s Community Supports for Adults teams across the Northern Zone, says Sandbar’s support has been especially important for taking that work out of traditional clinical settings and into the community. Clients can participate in outings and experiences they may otherwise have difficulty accessing, from trips to the beach to visits to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. This gives participants opportunities to practice skills developed through New Hope, including planning, problem solving, time management, social skills and relationship-building.

“We can bring people into the community who may be experiencing isolation or have difficulty accessing different programs,” Melissa said. “It allows clinicians to give them that experience and exposure to different things that are happening. We wouldn’t be able to do the programming that we do without the Foundation. It’s a really wonderful partnership. The clients really appreciate it and so do the staff.”

Looking back over four decades of the Aberdeen Health Foundation, Peter believes one of its greatest strengths has been its ability to respond to the changing needs of the community.

“Knowing what I know, I have to believe that the Aberdeen Health Foundation is the envy of an awful lot of places with higher populations than our community,” he said. “Your average person on the street probably isn’t aware of the equipment upgrades they have access to, and the difference in the care they receive, because of what the Foundation does.”

“The Bennett family’s generosity has touched countless lives over the past two decades, often in ways people never see,” said Michelle Ferris, Executive Director of the Aberdeen Health Foundation. “They recognized early on that health care extends far beyond medical equipment. Over the past two decades, the endowment has evolved alongside the community’s mental health needs, providing flexible funding for innovative programs that may not otherwise have been possible. Their vision has helped people build connections, access care, reduce isolation and find hope.

“To now see Kit, a young person in our community, pick up the torch and choose Sandbar as a cause he’d like to support has been a full-circle moment for us as we reflect on our history.  The Bennett family was ahead of its time in recognizing the importance of investing in mental health, and 20 years later, their example continues to inspire others to care about and invest in the wellbeing of our community.

“We are deeply grateful for the Bennett family’s early leadership and extraordinary commitment to mental health in Pictou County, and to Kit and the Leil family for choosing to carry that spirit of giving forward.”

Shop Save Nation’s fall collection on their Facebook page here.

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The Aberdeen Health Foundation is the leading charity for enhancing health care in Pictou County. In 2025, the Foundation invested over $3 million to fund medical equipment and enhance health programs at the Aberdeen Hospital and in the community. Your contribution can be the catalyst for even greater change — find out how you can make an impact here.