Three years ago, the worst nightmare for any parent occurred within our family. Our dear 19-year-old son, Graham, took his life while at university.

It has been a difficult time since his passing, but we have been incredibly blessed to have received so much love and support from both the RBC community and the community at large.

Our experience emboldened so many people to share their own family's challenges with mental illness. We were astounded by the number of seemly perfect families with children suffering from anxiety, depression, eating disorders, substance abuse and many other forms of mental illness.

The pressures of today's society are not easy on our kids.

Our children, many times, suffer in silence - it is often seen by those suffering as a personal weakness with a stigma attached. Most times they don't seek help or don't know where to get help if they do seek it. Often the help is inadequate.

My wife Gina, son Andrew and I want something good to come of our experience, so we recently established The Graham Burton Foundation, a registered Canadian charity.

The primary purpose of the Foundation is to identify and support Canadian charities that are focused on youth mental health. Secondarily, two loves of Graham were the outdoors and performing arts. We will support charitable organizations that have a youth focus on these areas. We believe that participation by young people in these areas help build overall health and well being.

Our Foundation is run only by the three of us. There is zero overhead. We will research and support Canadian charities that we believe will help our kids.