Halifax, Nov. 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- After the success of the BforKai organization throughout the Atlantic provinces, the Matthews family has once again taken the tragic loss of 19-year-old Kai Matthews to inspire their second campaign, menBaware. The national campaign targets young Canadians attending post-secondary institutions through social media and on-campus sporting events.
A vessel for change, BforKai, through its advocacy and awareness surrounding meningitis B, has seen several hundreds of students vaccinated, and the efforts are far-reaching. Numerous post-secondary institutions in Nova Scotia have changed their student health coverage to cover protection from meningitis B– but the conversations haven’t stopped there.
“We were able to leverage learnings from BforKai to understand there was a lack of meningitis B awareness and education in Canada,” says Norrie Matthews, father of Kai Matthews, founder of BforKai. “We saw the gap and acted on this unique opportunity to advocate for students while educating them on the seriousness of the infection.”
The movement fosters conversation around the available protections from meningitis B while encouraging students to share their passions and, ultimately, the desire to continue pursuing those passions throughout their lifetime. With post-secondary students more than five times more likely to contract meningitis B, they are at a significantly higher risk of death or lifetime complications from the infection.
“It’s heartwarming to see the start of meningitis B education present on campuses,” says Matthews. “After last week at the University of Victoria, we’re seeing this as an exciting new chapter to increase awareness for students across Canada.”
Over the coming weeks, menBaware will be present at the Université Laval for the U SPORTS women’s soccer championships on November 10-13, 2022, and a final campus activation at the Vanier Cup hosted by Western University on November 26, 2022.
About: Founded in June 2021, BforKai is a non-profit organization that believes no infant, child, or adolescent should die as a result of this potentially fatal infection. They exist to help educate people about meningitis B and increase vaccination rates. For more information: bforkai.com
