The Child Mind Institute Announces 2020 Change Maker Award Honorees

Bill Hader, Kenneth Cole, NAMI & Erika’s Lighthouse Recognized

NEW YORK, NY – The Child Mind Institute is pleased to announce the honorees for the nonprofit’s 6th annual Change Maker Awards. The awards celebrate people and organizations creating real, meaningful change for children who struggle with mental health and learning disorders. An in-person award ceremony was previously scheduled to take place at Carnegie Hall but has been indefinitely postponed due to COVID-19.

The Child Mind Institute wishes to congratulate and recognize this year’s award recipients for their important contributions to youth mental health:

· 2020 Champion Award | Bill Hader, actor, producer and outspoken mental health advocate:

“Thank you to the Child Mind Institute. I’ve gotten more recognition from the [[Child Mind Institute #MyYoungerSelf campaign]] video than pretty much anything else I’ve done. The amount of people who’ve come up to me about that video – it’s not Stefan anymore. It’s now my anxiety video, which makes me incredibly proud! I’m happy that I can talk about these things and be public with it and that it helps people.” Watch the acceptance video here: https://youtu.be/gKVHPRVAX2w

· 2020 Visionary Award | Kenneth Cole, fashion designer and founder of the Mental Health Coalition:

“I am honored to be the recipient of the 2020 Visionary Award. This is a unique moment in time, as all of us are living through one of the worst public health crises of our time. But there is an even larger pandemic that was here before and will still be here when it’s gone: a mental health crisis. At the Mental Health Coalition, we believe we can overcome this crisis if we do it together, and only if we do it together. I thank Dr Harold Koplewicz and the Child Mind Institute for being such great partners as well as such inspiring leaders in this critical initiative.”

· 2020 Outstanding Organization Award | The National Alliance on Mental Illness

“NAMI is proud and honored to receive the outstanding organization Change Maker Award from the Child Mind Institute,” said Daniel H. Gillison, Jr., CEO of NAMI. “We know that education and early intervention are crucial and can make a real difference for youth experiencing a mental health condition and their families. We believe that providing the right support when symptoms emerge is key to their success in school and living healthy, fulfilling lives.”

NAMI was the crowdsourced winner for this award. Other nominees in the category included: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Autism Speaks, California Children’s Trust, Center on Addiction and the National Association of Social Workers

· 2020 Community Builder Award | Erika’s Lighthouse

“It is such an honor for Erika’s Lighthouse to be recognized for this award,” said Erika’s Lighthouse Executive Director Brandon Combs. “The recent events have proven, more than ever, how critical mental health is and the key role we play in helping educators and parents let teens know they are never alone. Our mission has always been to Get Depression Out of the Dark and we are proud of the role we play in making this possible.”

Erika’s Lighthouse was the crowdsourced winner for this award. Other nominees in the category included: American School Counselor Association, Crisis Text Line, Learning Disabilities Association of America, National Association of Special Education Teachers and The Steve Fund.

“The work and advocacy done by each of the 2020 Change Maker Awards recipients is helping to make an important difference in the lives of many children who struggle every day,” said Child Mind Institute President and Medical Director Harold S. Koplewicz, MD. “During these unprecedented times, it’s more important than ever to shine a light on the challenges these children and their families are facing and work to provide them with the support and services they need.”

The Child Mind Institute would also like to thank HBO and WarnerMedia for their support around the Change Maker Awards. HBO in 2019 launched the It’s OK campaign, an initiative that aims to destigmatize mental illness and encourage conversation around mental health issues. We look forward to welcoming them as a partner for our 2021 event and continuing to work with them to help normalize conversations about mental health.

About the Child Mind Institute

The Child Mind Institute is an independent, national nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders. Our teams work every day to deliver the highest standards of care, advance the science of the developing brain, and empower parents, professionals and policymakers to support children when and where they need it most. Together with our supporters, we’re helping children reach their full potential in school and in life. We share all of our resources freely and do not accept any funding from the pharmaceutical industry. Learn more at childmind.org.

About Erika’s Lighthouse

Erika’s Lighthouse: A Beacon of Hope for Adolescent Depression is a non-profit organization committed to raising awareness about teen depression in middle school and high school communities at no cost to schools. Erika’s Lighthouse works to eliminate the stigma surrounding depression and empower young people to take ownership of their mental health. Core programs include the video-based, teacher-led depression awareness classroom programs—The Erika’s Lighthouse Program: Depression and Suicide Awareness for High School Students and The Erika’s Lighthouse Program: Depression Awareness for Middle School Students. Erika’s Lighthouse also provides countless other web-based resources. To learn more, visit www.erikaslighthouse.org.

About The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. NAMI started as a small group of families gathered around a kitchen table in 1979 and now has 650 NAMI State Organizations and Affiliates across the country. We know providing education, resources and advocating for improved access to mental health care and treatment is critical to getting people on

the road of recovery. Mental health conditions are common among teens and young adults with 50% of all lifetime mental illnesses developing by age 14 and 75% developing by age 24. The NAMI Ending the Silence presentation for middle and high school students helps raise awareness and change perceptions around mental health conditions. Since 2014, NAMI Ending the Silence has been presented over 14,500 times to more than 600,000 students across 44 states. NAMI.org

About The Mental Health Coalition The Mental Health Coalition (www.thementalhealthcoalition.org), is comprised of an unprecedented group of the most passionate & influential NGOs, advocates, celebrities and media organizations that have joined forces to address the devastating stigma surrounding mental health. This will be the first collaborative effort of this scale committed to changing the way people talk about and care for mental health. To actualize the mission, the coalition is launching a storytelling initiative as they believe storytelling to be a powerful tool that encourages open dialogue around mental health. The creative platform (www.howareyoureally.org) formally launched on May 15, 2020 timed to Mental Health Awareness Month.