When you’re great at what you do, but people don’t know it, it might be time to rethink how you tell your story. Despite Ontario Shore’s outstanding reputation in mental health care, the hospital near Toronto is overshadowed by its larger, more recognized counterpart. Looking to boost community engagement and donor support, the hospital launched its first major fundraising campaign. In collaboration with Clear Space, we developed a creative platform around the theme “Reach the Shore”, conveying the stability and relief that comes after overcoming the turbulent waters of mental illness and finding the support you need.
The waters may be rough
And the waves seem overwhelming at times.
Some days it can feel like there’s no hope in sight.
A journey too impossible to make.
But little by little, you see it.
A way forward.
A moment
When the clouds turn to clarity,
Hope turns to healing,
And you begin to realize that you can
Reach the Shore.
Reaching New Ground in Mental Health Fundraising
The Challenge:
When Excellence Goes Unrecognized
Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences delivers exceptional mental health care. But being great at what you do doesn’t matter if people don’t know about it.
Despite its outstanding reputation among clinicians and patients, the Whitby-based hospital operated in the shadow of Toronto’s larger, more prominent Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Many in the community didn’t even realize Ontario Shores was a publicly funded hospital — frequently mistaking it for a rehab centre or long-term care facility. The role of the Ontario Shores Foundation and its mental health initiatives remained unclear to potential donors and community members alike.
Unlike established institutions with deep brand equity built over decades, Ontario Shores was still building its story. As the Foundation prepared to launch its first major fundraising campaign, the question became: how do you compete for attention and donor dollars when your name doesn’t carry the same weight as your peers?
The Strategy:
Own What No One Else Can
Working in collaboration with Clear Space, we looked for a differentiator that no other mental health organization could claim. The answer was right there in the hospital’s name — and its location.
Situated on the shores of Lake Ontario, the hospital’s geographic identity offered powerful symbolic imagery: the journey from turbulent waters to safe harbour, from being lost at sea to spotting land on the horizon. This metaphor captured something essential about the mental health experience — the hope and possibility of reaching solid ground after navigating life’s roughest storms.
More than a creative opportunity, it provided us with the perfect strategic positioning. The lake imagery was ownable, memorable, and deeply resonant with the experience of mental health recovery.
The Solution:
Reach the Shore
We developed Reach the Shore as the campaign's creative platform — a tagline that captures both the struggle and the promise of mental health care. It conveys the stability and relief that comes after overcoming the turbulent waters of mental illness and finding the support you need.
Along with the campaign line, we introduced “Within Our Reach” as a complementary message, adding a critical layer of hope and possibility. Together, these concepts communicate that recovery isn't just a distant dream — it’s achievable, it's supported, and close at hand.
The Impact:
Building a Framework for the Future
More than a campaign, Reach the Shore gave Ontario Shores Foundation a scalable platform that positions the organization to compete on a larger stage. The framework is adaptable, with tools and pillars that can evolve as the Foundation grows.
Most importantly, it gave the Foundation a story worth telling: one rooted in hope, grounded in place, and uniquely their own. For an organization that had long worked in the shadows of better-known institutions, Reach the Shore became the catalyst for stepping into the light — and inviting the community to join them on the journey.