Every dollar spent on mental health in early childhood saves $7 in future social and health-related costs

TORONTO, May 6 /CNW/ - Tonight at The Hincks-Dellcrest Foundation's annual Raise A Child's Smile gala, CIBC (CM: TSX;NYSE) will deliver a commitment of $200,000 to help The Hincks-Dellcrest Centre continue supporting the mental health needs of Ontario's infants, children, youth and their families.

CIBC will be the evening's Honouree at which Hincks-Dellcrest will acknowledge the bank's 35 years of giving and say "Thanks a million, CIBC" for providing $1 million of consistent financial support to one of the largest charitable mental health organizations in Ontario.

"We couldn't meet the needs of the kids without private funding. CIBC's consistent support over more than three decades is so important for what we do at Hincks-Dellcrest," said Calvin Younger, Chair of The Hincks-Dellcrest Foundation and CIBC's Senior Vice-President of Commercial Banking.

"We are very proud of our long-standing relationship with Hincks-Dellcrest, including our representation on the Board of Directors and the funding we have provided that supports critical care for the mental health needs of the most vulnerable members of our community," said Jon Hountalas, CIBC's Executive Vice-President of Business Banking. "On behalf of CIBC, I would like to thank everyone at The Hincks-Dellcrest Centre for the inspiring work you do every day to help address the issue of mental illness among children."

One in five Canadian children suffers from a mental health problem, yet only one in five gets the help they need. With proper care and attention, children emerge from treatment with an improved quality of life, distressed families return to a state of harmony, and communities are strengthened by their willingness to support children's mental health needs.

The Hincks-Dellcrest Centre says that most mental illness first appears in childhood or adolescence, and left untreated, can lead to family and school disruption, violent behaviour, criminal activity, or even suicide. Mental health problems can impact entire communities, with disruptive and often dangerous results.

"At Hincks-Dellcrest we have found that proactive preventative programs reduce the need for reactive remedial programs," said Younger. "Research shows that helping children early - such as with the prevention and early intervention work done by The Hincks-Dellcrest Centre - gives the best chance for a positive outcome. And for every dollar spent on mental health in early childhood, seven dollars are saved in future social and health care related costs."

About The Hincks-Dellcrest Centre

The Hincks-Dellcrest Centre is a non-profit children's mental health centre offering a comprehensive range of mental health services to infants, children, youth, and families. The Hincks-Dellcrest Centre specializes in three main areas of activity:

-   Services to infants, children, and youth to support a variety of
        mental health needs
    -   Educational placements to prepare the next generation of mental
        health professionals
    -   Evaluation and research to understand the basis for children's social
        and emotional problems, and to test and evaluate innovative
        interventions

About CIBC

CIBC is committed to supporting causes that matter to our clients, employees and our communities. We aim to make a difference in communities through corporate donations, sponsorships and the volunteer spirit of employees. With a strategic focus on youth, education and health, and employee commitment to causes including the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure, the CIBC Children's Foundation and United Way, we are investing in the social and economic development of communities across the country. In 2009, $26.8 million was contributed through the CIBC group of companies to charitable and non-profit initiatives in Canada, supporting a wide variety of national, regional and local organizations. To learn more, visit www.communitymatters.cibc.com.