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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, October 3, 2013 | 20 Iroquois Ridge High School hosting eating disorders forum by John Bkila Oakville Beaver Staff Health "Connected to your Community" Iroquois Ridge High School will be hosting a symposium on eating disorders Wednesday, Oct. 23 and is inviting teachers, parents and those affected to attend. Organized by the National Initiative for Eating Disorders (NIED), the symposium will feature Carly Crawford of Find Your Voice Counselling among its guest speakers and will tackle topics including eating disorders, self-esteem, and body image. "It (NIED) is a really good resource for parents and how they can support their children... as well as connect with other parents who are going through similar situations," said Molly Schoo, a 20-year-old Oakville resident and one of the organizers for the symposium. As an Iroquois Ridge alum, Schoo helped bring the symposium to her former high school, which has put on its own mental health conferences for its students for the past couple of years. Early signs of eating disorders Schoo says while the symposium will be informative to anyone who attends, it will be particularly beneficial in assisting teachers spot early signs of eating disorders in a student. "It was my dance teacher and one of my teachers at Iroquois Ridge that realized it (with me)," she said. Schoo recently spoke at a conference held at the north Oakville high school on how she overcame her own bouts with mental health issues, which developed when she was 13 years old -- now she's studying to complete her bachelor of science in dietetics and nutrition at Western University. She says issues such as eating disorders have become more prevalent in recent years. "It used to be more amongst the adult and teen populations, but now you see children as young as 10 being affected by an eating disorder," she said. "The wait list for treatment has also increased. It used to be that you could get treatment within a month, but now it's longer." That's why Schoo says symposiums, like the one to be later this month at Iroquois Ridge, are important because they help connect parents, teachers and patients of eating disorders and mental health issues with the proper resources. `A source of inspiration' "It's also important that patients of a disorder should attend as a reminder that parents do care and are there to support you," she said. "It's also good to hear stories of people who have overcome it, as a source of inspiration." The symposium will be held at the Iroquois Ridge school theatre, 1123 Glenashton Dr., in an open, question-and-answer format. Refreshments will be served at 6:30 p.m., followed by a 7 p.m. start. For more information, visit www.nied.ca, email info@nied.ca, or call 647-347-2393. Donate today and help suppor t women's health in your communit y. Every September, Shoppers Drug Mart® stores across Canada set up a Tree of Life in support of women's health, with 100% of all proceeds going directly to women's health initiatives in your community. Over the years, you've contributed over $20 million and we're hoping you'll help us make a difference again this year. Visit your local Shoppers Drug Mart between September 14 and October 11 and buy a leaf ($1), a butterfly ($5), an acorn ($10) or a cardinal ($50) to help women's health grow in your community. To donate online or find out which women's charity your local Shoppers Drug Mart store supports, visit shoppersdrugmart.ca/treeoflife. P R E S E N T E D BY T H E C A N A D I A N C E L I AC A S S O C I AT I O N 9am to 5pm Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington · Free Parking & Access to the Gardens SAMPLE Try before you buy newest in Gluten-Free products LEARN Listen to expert guest speakers DISCOVER Newly certified products under the Canadian Celiac Association's new Gluten-Free Certification Program Sunday October 27 BUY Stock your pantry with the Buy Tickets Online or At the Door Proceeds from this show will support the charitable work of the CCA and help improve quality of life for thousands of Canadians who are affected by gluten. CanadasGlutenFreeMarket GlutenFreeMrkt 1-800-693-7986 A DIVISION OF www.canadasglutenfreemarket.com