Award Winners!
The Change Maker Awards celebrate people and organizations that are creating real, meaningful change for children struggling with mental health and learning disorders. From the professionals putting in long hours for the children and families they serve to the advocates bringing mental health awareness to the national stage, our honorees inspire us with their passion for changing the way we understand and treat our children.
We also invite you to learn more about our 2015, 2016, and 2017 Change Makers.
Read about the event here (with photos)
Child Mind Institute – Change Maker Awards Gala 2018
Uploaded by Child Mind Institute on 2018-05-30.
Honorees

Activist Award
Glenn Close
Co-founder, Bring Change to Mind
With six Academy Award nominations, Glenn Close next stars in the film adaptation of Meg Wolitzer’s bestselling novel, The Wife, coming out late summer 2018. Close most recently reprised her Tony Award-winning role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Sunset Boulevard at the London Coliseum and on Broadway. Her multi-award winning career has spanned 44 years, seeing her move effortlessly between stage, film and television. She has also produced for television and co-written, starred in and co-produced the acclaimed film, Albert Nobbs. In 2010, she co-founded Bring Change to Mind, a charity dedicated to confronting the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness by empowering people to start the conversation. The idea for the organization came about following Close’s first-hand observation of battles with mental illness within her family. bringchange2mind.org

Champion Award
Gavin Newsom
Lieutenant Governor of California
Gavin Newsom has championed innovative public policies since entering office in 1997. As a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, then as mayor of San Francisco and now as Lieutenant Governor of California, Newsom has been a political visionary on issues of equality, the environment, homelessness and healthcare. As a candidate for California governor, he has pledged to prioritize prevention, early identification and intervention for mental health disorders and ensure that every young person has access to care by training teachers, counselors, first responders and pediatricians in how to recognize the early signs. ltg.ca.gov

Corporate Advocate Award
NBCUniversal
Presented to Cynthia McFadden, Senior Legal and Investigative Correspondent, NBC News
NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks, and a suite of leading Internet-based businesses. As a company uniquely positioned to inform and inspire, NBCUniversal strives to bring together audiences around moments that matter and make a positive social impact in the communities served by each of its brands. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

Outstanding Organization Award
Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
(BBRF)
Since 1987, BBRF has been committed to alleviating the suffering of mental illness by awarding scientific research grants to improve treatment and ultimately develop cures and methods of prevention to enable people with mental health issues to live full, happy, and productive lives. http://www.bbrfoundation.org</

Community Builder Award
To Write Love On Her Arms
(TWLOHA)
To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire, and invest directly into treatment and recovery. Since 2006, TWLOHA has responded to over 200,000 messages and has shared more than 1,000 blog posts from contributors who want to let others know that they’re not alone in their pain. https://twloha.com/

People's Choice Award
Tricia and Kurt Baker
(ATTITUDES IN REVERSE)
Tricia and Kurt established Attitudes in Reverse (AIR™) shortly after losing their son to suicide. They immediately embarked on a mission to eliminate stigma and to encourage people to seek help when needed. Since 2011, they have spoken with more than 63,000 middle, high school and college students about mental health and suicide prevention. They also created a powerful In Their Shoes™ exhibit that augments this educational program. It builds empathy and understanding by sharing thoughts that go through the minds of individuals who are struggling. https://attitudesinreverse.org/
Finalists
OUTSTANDING ORGANIZATION AWARD
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRISTS
(AACAP)
OUTSTANDING ORGANIZATION AWARD
THE NATIONAL CHILD TRAUMATIC STRESS NETWORK
(NCTSN)