Synergy 8 Community Builders proposed, in its Drive For Kids Campaign, that two mental health buses were needed to service the seven First Nation communities around Saskatoon and a large portion of the cost was shared 50-50 between the federal and provincial governments to the tune of $2.5 million.

Synergy 8 Community Builders have their two mental health buses, one is already outfitted and ready to go, and it is all thanks to a successful Drive for Kids Campaign that raised money for the five-year pilot project.

Troy Davies with Synergy 8 says they were fortunate that all the pieces fell in place for the fundraiser this past summer and they raised the rest of the $3.3 million with the golf tournament featuring sports celebrities Darcy Kemper who had just won the Stanley Cup, as well as Mackenzie Hughes who won on the PGA Tour a month later.

Davies says the individuals working in the health bus, and soon the mental health buses, are hired specifically for the roles and the expertise they offer in order to be full time staff with the buses. In the first year of running their health bus last year they served 252 dental patients and 693 mental health clients.

All three buses, while being coordinated through the Saskatoon Tribal Council, are for the entire community.