The Mental Health Association of New York City (MHA-NYC) brought together over 300 supporters, guests and business leaders to call for greater awareness and support for the many faces of Mental Health.
WABC Eyewitness News Anchor Bill Ritter hosted the emotional evening honoring Patrick J. Kennedy and focused on the personal stories of those challenged and the need for early detection and greater awareness.
Longtime MHA-NYC CEO and President Giselle Stolper highlighted the organization as a force for mental wellness as exemplified by such programs as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Veterans Crisis Hotline, NFL Lifeline and 164 network crisis centers. “In 2015 alone,” she said “these programs provided life saving assistance to 1.5 million people people across the country. And locally, in partnership with New York City, we answered up to 12,000 calls a month from people in crisis.”
Amy Kennedy, Education Director of the Kennedy Forum and wife of former Rhode Island representative Patrick J. Kennedy accepted the night’s award as a champion of mental health on her husband’s behalf. Kennedy said the lessons learned from Wilkerson’s story, and all those shared throughout the night, were a perfect example of the need for more education and early intervention to help all those struggling with mental health challenges.
Event Chairs for the MHA-NYC 2016 Gala included: Jennifer Ashley, Ph. D., Global Director of Human Resources for CBRE, RIc Clark, Senior Managing Partner and Global Head of Real Estate at Brookfield, and CEO of Brookfield Property Partners, Charles P. Fitzgerald, founder and and Senior Managing Partner of of V3 Capital Management, L.P.
Sponsors for the MHA-NYC 2016 Gala included: Brookfield, CBRE Group, Inc., Cynthia Eckes, V3 Capital Management L.P., Cynthia Zirinsky, Jennifer Ashley, Ric Clark, Sheri & Kevin Danehy, Charles Fitzgerald, Diana Gaines, Alison Lewis & Newmark Grubb Knight, Frank, Alaina Melichar, Morgan Stanley, Alston & Bird, Balyasny Asset Management, EY, Facebook, Inc., Gracie Square Hospital, Bernie Groveman, Robert Gottesman, Haynes and Boone, LLP, Kelly Drye & Warren LLP, Meyer Mintz & Berdon LLP, Montefiore Medical Center, National Football league, Joseph F. Peyronnin, III and Susan Zirinsky, Ellen and Alan Rutsky, Anderson, McCoy & Orta, Beacon Health Solutions, Lawrence Calcano, Johnson &Johnson, Magellan Health, Paul Massey, Michael Nissan, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc., Corbett Price, Lynn Sherman, S. Donald Sussman for Paloma Partners, Kenneth and Anna Zankel.
Photos by Sean Sime Photography.
