![\"photo](\"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/may-09-milestones.09.Courage-2018-Lorne-Melita-Alex-Law.jpg\")
<\/a>The cause is mental health in general, but also Coast Mental Health specifically. The Courage to Come Back Awards raise money for the organization.<\/p>\n
\u201cCoast Mental Health is one of the quiet pillars holding up those who often feel unseen,\u201d Segal explained. \u201cIn the broad landscape of mental health care, we often think first of hospitals, doctors and medication \u2013 the primary care that is essential and often life-saving. But what happens after that first step toward healing? Where does someone go when they leave the hospital but still need support, still need connection, still need hope? That\u2019s where Coast Mental Health steps in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cCoast is not just a service \u2013 it is a sanctuary,\u201d he said. \u201cIt offers that vital second tier of support: stable housing, meaningful training, compassionate community. It provides a roof over someone\u2019s head, but also restores something far less tangible and even more precious \u2013 dignity. With job training programs, resource centres and drop-in spaces where a kind word and a warm hand can change the course of someone\u2019s day, Coast wraps its arms around people who are trying, day by day, to come back.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMental health recovery doesn\u2019t happen in isolation, and it doesn\u2019t end at the hospital door. Coast Mental Health understands that healing is holistic. It happens in the safety of a home, in the encouragement of a support network, in the pride of a new job and in the trust of a human connection.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the quiet, essential work of Coast Mental Health \u2013 and it is work that changes lives,\u201d Segal said. \u201cIt is not just about surviving. It is about returning to life with dignity, with purpose and with courage.\u201d<\/p>\n There have been so many memorable Courage to Come Back moments for Segal over the last two decades. \u201cThere are countless,\u201d he said. \u201cStanding ovations for recipients who once struggled to leave their homes, families reunited in tears and the thunderous applause of a community coming together. But perhaps the most memorable moments are the quiet ones: personal notes from recipients saying, \u2018You helped me believe in myself again.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Under Segal\u2019s stewardship, the annual event, which began in 1999, has grown to be Western Canada\u2019s largest gala, with more than 1,700 people attending. It has raised more than $27 million for mental health and celebrated 153 British Columbians. But its success wasn\u2019t guaranteed.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the greatest challenges the Courage to Come Back Awards faced was simply staying alive in its earliest days,\u201d said Segal. \u201cI still remember stumbling across the event 27 years ago \u2013 not really knowing where I was going or what to expect. I sat down at a table, noticed a Kleenex box in the centre, and quickly understood why it was there. The stories I heard that evening moved me to tears. These weren\u2019t just stories\u00a0 <\/span>\u2013 they were everyday miracles. I walked out of that room thinking: everyone needs to hear this. Everyone needs to feel this hope.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBut, at the time, there were only a few hundred people in the room. The organization was struggling, and the idea of shutting the doors on the awards was very real. There simply wasn\u2019t enough awareness, enough support or enough belief that it could become more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThat night lit a fire in me,\u201d he said. \u201cI started telling everyone I knew \u2013 sharing the stories, the impact, the emotion. And, slowly, over the years, the event grew.\u201d<\/p>\n As for what keeps him involved, Segal said, \u201cBecause it matters. Because it changes lives. Because I\u2019ve seen firsthand the power of sharing stories of resilience, the ripple effect of one person\u2019s courage igniting another\u2019s hope. For two decades, I\u2019ve had the privilege of helping shine a light on individuals who prove, year after year, that no matter the hardship, comebacks are possible. It\u2019s not just about honouring the brave \u2013 it\u2019s about showing others what\u2019s possible. And that purpose, that impact, keeps me coming back, too.\u201d<\/p>\n The work gives back more than it takes, he said. \u201cIn a world full of noise, the Courage to Come Back Awards are a rare and powerful reminder of what truly matters: resilience, humanity and hope.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a>