Past recipients of a Courage to Come Back Award. (image from Coast Mental Health)
Nominations are open for the 2024 Courage to Come Back Awards, presented by Wheaton Precious Metals.
The purpose of the awards is to pay tribute to those who have overcome overwhelming challenges and now give back to their community. They are the hidden everyday heroes that deserve to be recognized and celebrated for their contributions to our communities.
This recognition goes a long way to encouraging these individuals to continue their efforts to inspire those around them. It also gives them a platform to further promote the causes or issues that are important to them.
They are our role models.
People like Rachel Goldman, who has faced a lifetime of chronic illness and pain with great courage and strength. She is an accomplished TV and radio producer, and has always volunteered within her community. Goldman hopes that, by sharing her story, her struggle can be a force for hope for others. (See jewishindependent.ca/beautiful-life-despite-illness.)
People like Dr. Barney Jr. Williams, a residential school survivor and person recovering from alcoholism. Williams has made it his life’s mission to help others overcome alcoholism and addiction.
Like Alex Sangha, who is gay, lives with a mental illness, and is from a South Asian community where stigma persists. Today, he has become an inspirational creator of safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community.
Or Jodi Gray, a transwoman who overcame poverty, abuse, suicidal ideation and depression. She changed the narrative to create better solutions and systems of care.
The Courage to Come Back Awards not only recognize the lives of five remarkable people, but ensure that Coast Mental Health can continue to provide compassionate, meaningful support for anyone with the courage to come back from mental illness.
Coast Mental Health is one of the largest providers of community-based services for people living with mental illness in British Columbia. Each year, it provides essential services to 5,000 clients so they can find a meaningful place in their communities – a place to live, a place to connect and a place to work. To find out more about the programs and services offered, visit coastmentalhealth.com.
The Courage to Come Back Awards are given in five categories: addiction, medical, mental health, physical rehabilitation and youth. Award recipients will be recognized in person in front of more than 1,400 people at the Vancouver Convention Centre on May 23, 2024. They will receive media coverage and their stories will be shared on social media.
“As chair of the Courage to Come Back Awards, reading through the hundreds of nominations we receive every year is a moment I look forward to with great anticipation,” said Lorne Segal, president of Kingswood Properties Ltd. “All of them are true journeys of bravery, resilience and strength in the face of adversity. I am grateful to those that have the courage to share their stories with us.”
The deadline for nominations is Friday, Jan. 19, 2024. To nominate someone and find out more about the process, visit couragetocomeback.ca/nominations.
– Courtesy Coast Mental Health