April 27, 2017 PRESENTING SPONSORS Nancy and Miles Rubin In recognition of the hardworking staff of
Maurice Benard HONORING PRESENTER Judy Collins Nancy Rubin BEATRICE STERN MEDIA AWARD PRESENTER Paul Dalio George Segal LEADERSHIP AWARD PRESENTER Anna Akana Melissa Rivers MENTAL HEALTH AMBASSADOR EMCEE Thank you for all you do to help Laura Ornest those in our community EVENT CHAIR Kita S. Curry, PhD who need it most! DIDI HIRSCH PRESIDENT/CEO
April 27, 2017 The Beverly Hilton 9876 Wilshire Boulevard Beverly Hills, CA 90210
75 YEARS OF DIDI HIRSCH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services has been providing free mental health, substance use and suicide prevention services for 75 years. Dedicated to serving communities where stigma or poverty limits access, Didi Hirsch helps children and adults from 11 locations and 100 schools throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties each year.
Didi Hirsch’s Suicide Prevention Center is the nation’s first and a leader in training, research and services. We help people thinking about suicide, concerned loved ones and those who have attempted or are grieving a loss. Our multilingual crisis line answered nearly 87,000 calls, chats and texts nationwide in 2016 and is one of three that takes calls on the national Disaster Distress Helpline. BEATRICE STERN MEDIA AWARD
The family of Beatrice Stern, a dear friend of Didi Hirsch, established the Beatrice Stern Media Award in 2007 to recognize creative individuals in film, television and print who use the constructive power of media to erase the stigma of mental illness and to influence policy.
The idea that mental illness is shameful grew out of fear and ignorance LEADERSHIP AWARD about its causes, effects and treatments. Today, we know more about brain chemistry and its disturbances than ever before, yet stigma around Author and social issues advocate Tipper Gore received Didi mental illness persists. Hirsch’s first Leadership Award in 1997 for courageously sharing her experience with depression and the mental health care that helped Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services took a lead role in sparking positive her recover. The Award honors those who enlighten us about mental conversations about mental illness in 1997 by establishing its Erasing the illness and inspire hope. Stigma Leadership Awards. Since then, it has honored dozens of artists, advocates, researchers, physicians, writers and sports figures who have kept the conversation going. Thanks to their efforts, we have made sig- nificant progress in erasing the stigma of mental illness, which will affect MENTAL HEALTH AMBASSADOR half of us sometime in our lives. Didi Hirsch’s Mental Health Ambassador Award recognizes artists, advocates and others who use the power of the Internet and social media to encourage young people struggling with mental health problems to speak up and seek help. HONORING
Judy Collins Beatrice Stern Media Award
Inspiring audiences since the 1960s, JUDY COLLINS is an award-winning singer, songwriter, author, mentor and in-demand keynote speaker for mental health and suicide prevention.
With over fifty albums, several top-ten hits, and gold/platinum-selling albums, Judy’s rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” is part of the Grammy Hall of Fame, and her version of “Send in the Clowns” won the 1975 Grammy for Song of the Year.
Judy’s memoir, Sanity and Grace: A Journey of Suicide, Survival and Strength, chronicles her survival following the suicide of her only son, Clark, in 1992. In Sweet Judy Blue Eyes: My Life in Music, she writes about her struggles with alcoholism. And her newest release, Cravings: How I Conquered Food, is a no-holds barred account of her struggle with compulsive overeating.
Along with representing UNICEF and other causes, Judy is an accomplished painter and filmmaker. She is the co-director of the Academy Award- nominated filmPortrait of a Woman about Antonia Brico, the first woman to conduct major symphonies around the world (and Judy’s classical piano teacher when she was young). Through her label Wildflower Records, Judy continues to write, tour, create music and nurture fresh talent. HONORING
Paul Dalio Leadership Award
PAUL DALIO is a writer, director and composer. His first feature film, Touched With Fire, about two poets in a psychiatric hospital who fall in love, was inspired by his own experience with bipolar disorder. Starring Katie Holmes, Luke Kirby and Christine Lahti, it was released theatrically in 2016 and has received a 92% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
In 2004, Paul had his first psychotic episode. After two years in and out of hospitals, he was accepted into NYU’s graduate filmmaking program but had to leave due to another episode. To cope, he worked in construction and reapplied to NYU in 2007 where he met his wife and collaborator, Kristina Nikolova, and professor Spike Lee, who became his mentor and Executive Producer.
Paul wrote, directed, scored and co-edited Touched With Fire, which was a New York Times Critics’ Pick, and described as “an extraordinarily sensitive and nonjudgmental exploration of bipolar disorder and creativity.” The title comes from the book by Kay Redfield Jamison, PhD, a 1999 Erasing the Stigma honoree who had a cameo in the film.
In 2016, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration recognized the film, and Paul received the International Bipolar Foundation’s IMAGINE award. Paul currently lives in New York with his wife and children and is working on his next two projects. HONORING
Anna Akana Mental Health Ambassador
Producer, filmmaker and writer ANNA AKANA wrote and starred in the digital series Riley Rewind in 2013. Inspired by the tragic loss of her 13-year- old sister, Kristina, who was the victim of bullying, Riley Rewind garnered over 25 million views across YouTube, Facebook and Netflix.
Anna produces films, sketches and series for her YouTube channel, which has over 1.7 million subscribers. Her weekly show features semi-autobiographical comedic stories where she portrays multiple roles, often speaking about her experience with depression and mental health treatment.
Anna has recurring roles on Freeform’s The Fosters and Comedy Central’s Broken People as well as roles in the filmsKids vs. Monsters, Hello, My Name is Doris and Ant Man. Next, she can be seen alongside Bella Thorne and Halston Sage in the thriller, You Get Me and in the Comedy Central series Hampton Deville.
Recently concluding her North American comedy tour, Show and Tell, Anna’s second digital series, Miss 2059, begins Season 2 later this year. She has also created the clothing company, Ghost & Stars, and Random House/ Valentine is releasing her first book:So Much I Want to Tell You: Letters To My Little Sister. Maurice Benard Presenter
Emmy Award-winning actor MAURICE BENARD joined the cast of General Hospital in 1993, earning his first of seven nominations for the pivotal role of mob boss Sonny Corinthos three years later. In 2003, he garnered an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. He also has received four American Latino Media Arts Award (ALMA) nominations for Outstanding Performance in a Daytime Drama.
Maurice made his feature film debut in the independent filmRuby , alongside Danny Aiello. His other indie film credits includeDuke , Operation Splitsville, Restraining Order and Mi Vida Loca, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1993. He recently wrapped the lead in the independent feature film The Ghost and the Whale, playing a man who is consumed by grief after his wife disappears at sea.
The veteran actor began his career in New York in the role of Nico Kelly on All My Children. His other television credits include the CBS telefilmsTo Face Her Past, the title role of Desi Arnaz in Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter and Her Wicked Ways.
A native of San Francisco, Maurice has been a prominent voice in the battle against bipolar disorder for over a decade and has been involved with Mental Health America, the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, and International Bipolar Foundation. In 2002, Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services honored him at its Erasing the Stigma Leadership Awards. Nancy Rubin Presenter
NANCY RUBIN is a public servant and a global champion for human rights, women’s rights, mental health, and social justice. She served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights during the Clinton Administration and was a Presidential appointee on the Council for Community Solutions to advance changes for cities’ most urgent needs. She was also a Senior Advisor to the State Department for the UN Human Rights Council in the Obama White House, and worked in the Carter Administration.
To expand opportunities for development, democracy and political participation, she serves on the Board of Directors for the National Democratic Institute, was on the Strategy Committee for Harvard University’s Project on Justice in Times of Transition and is a national leader in the effort to pass the Convention to End Discrimination Against Women. She is also a Commissioner of the Women’s Refugee Commission.
Viewing access to mental health care as a human right, Nancy was the first chair of the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign. She founded Community Outreach in 1977 to help fund Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, which was named after her mother. She is a former Board member and received an Erasing the Stigma Leadership Award in 2000.
Other organizations where she has made important contributions include the Coalition for Women in International Development, the United Nation’s Foundation Strategy Council, the Women’s Leadership Board at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, The Washington Center, and the White House Corporation for National and Community Service, which created AmeriCorps. George Segal Presenter
GEORGE SEGAL had a magic act at age ten and has been performing ever since. A veteran of stage, television and film, Segal’s impressive resume of projects run the gamut from light comedy to heart-wrenching drama. He has two Golden Globes, five Golden Globe nominations, an Academy Award nomination and a BAFTA nomination.
Recent television credits include a successful seven-year run in Just Shoot Me!, and roles in the hit series Entourage and the sitcom Retired at 35. Segal can currently be seen on ABC’s highly successful 1980s-set sitcom The Goldbergs.
His TV roles include “Biff” in the 1967 Emmy-winning production ofDeath of a Salesman and multiple appearances in other hit TV shows such as Private Practice, Boston Legal, and Law & Order: SVU. He was a guest 12 times on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and co-hosted the 48th Annual Academy Awards in 1976.
He first gained acclaim on the big screen as a distraught newlywed inShip of Fools, and as a P.O.W. in King Rat. Other early work includes Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, for which he received an Oscar nomination, The Owl and the Pussycat opposite Barbara Streisand, and A Touch of Class, for which he won a Golden Globe for Best Actor. He also had memorable roles in Where’s Poppa?, Fun With Dick and Jane and Flirting With Disaster. He recently appeared in Love & Other Drugs, and in Roland Emmerich’s epic adventure, 2012. He was Master of Ceremonies for Didi Hirsch’s Leadership Awards in 2002, 2004, 2010 and 2012. Melissa Rivers Emcee
MELISSA RIVERS is an entertainment journalist, equestrian, public speaker, social activist and suicide prevention advocate.
Author of the New York Times bestseller The Book of Joan: Tales of Mirth, Mischief, and Manipulation, Melissa starred opposite her mother for four seasons of WE tv’s hit series, Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?. As the Executive Producer and Co-Host of E!’s Fashion Police, she entertains viewers with her candor, wit and eye for fashion, which she honed covering the red carpet for TV Guide and E!.
In 2016, Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services honored Melissa with the Beatrice Stern Media Award for her openness about the suicide of her father, television producer Edgar Rosenberg, and her passionate efforts to raise suicide prevention awareness among youth and college students.
She has raised funds for the Waterkeeper Alliance, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and Bogart Foundation for Pediatric Cancer Research. Melissa is a board member of the Entertainment Industries Council whose mission is to lead the entertainment industry in bringing influence to bear on health and social issues.
While her professional achievements are plentiful, she considers her role as a single mother to her son, Cooper, to be her biggest accomplishment. Laura Ornest Event Chair
LAURA ORNEST is an award-winning television and radio reporter and producer whose family’s experience with mental illness inspired her to join Didi Hirsch’s Board in 1999.
A native of Canada, Laura launched her broadcasting career as a sportscaster for CKNW radio in Vancouver in 1981. A year later, she hosted CBC Television’s 11 PM nightly news sportscast and a weekend sports show, making her the first female TV sportscaster in Western Canada.
She began working as a freelance TV news reporter for Channel 9 and ESPN in Los Angeles in 1985 and produced shows for E! Television, CNN and CBS before returning to her first love—radio. As a local news reporter for KFWB and KNX 1070, she earned several Golden Mikes and Associated Press awards for her work. She currently interviews, writes and produces features on the arts for KUSC Classical Radio 91.5.
Before she became a broadcast journalist, Laura worked as Assistant General Manager for the Vancouver Canadians, a Triple-A Baseball team owned by her father, Harry Ornest, who subsequently owned the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.
She also serves on the Board of Jewish Family Service and is a former member of the Jewish Federation’s Board. She lives in Pacific Palisades with her husband, architect Rick Leslie, and their son, Harrison. Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services has been Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services extends proudly erasing stigma since 1997. its gratitude to our 2017 Leadership Co - Chairs, Event Chair and Event Committee
PAST HONOREES Leadership Co - Chairs
DEAR ABBY Bonnie Strauss Gould Christopher Monger Kita S. Curry, PhD and Peter W. Curry Ryan Anderson Jeff Greenberg Dana Priest Charlotte W. Fletcher, PhD and Jeremy B. Fletcher Michael Angelakos Mariette Hartley Melissa Rivers Linda and Martin J. Frank Maurice Benard Mary Hayashi Chris Rose Jami and Nikolaus Heidegger Lois and Sam Bloom John Head Ronda Rousey Janine and Henry Lichstein Michael Botticelli Jennifer Holliday Ambassador Terry Bradshaw Anne Hull Nancy Hirsch Rubin Laura Ornest and Rick Leslie Bebe Moore Campbell Kay Redfield Jamison, PhD Elyn R. Saks, JD, PhD Nancy and Miles Rubin Bridget Cantrell, PhD Quincy Jones David Satcher, MD Sara Rutenberg and Andrew Berman Rosalynn Carter Congressman Jilliene F. Schenkel Kid Cudi Patrick J. Kennedy Edwin S. Shneidman, PhD Chuck Dean Larry King Andrew Solomon Event Committee Patty Duke Gary E. Knell Shari and Garen Staglin ER – the television series Mary Lambert Rod Steiger Laura Ornest, Event Chair Norman L. Farberow, PhD Steve Lopez Darrell and Jordana Steinberg Rudolph I. Estrada Carrie Fisher Los Angeles Times Beatrice Stern Christopher J. Harrer Maya Forbes Alison Malmon Ross Szabo Janine Lichstein Gary Foster Howie Mandel Natasha Tracy Tipper Gore Jamie Masada Lisa Petrazzolo Shelby Tweten Logan Miller and Noah Miller Sara Rutenberg Cheri Renfroe Yousem Kita S. Curry, PhD Charlotte W. Fletcher, PhD and Peter W. Curry and Jeremy B. Fletcher LEADERSHIP CO-CHAIRS LEADERSHIP CO-CHAIRS Linda and Martin J. Frank Jami and Nikolaus Heidegger LEADERSHIP CO-CHAIRS LEADERSHIP CO-CHAIRS Janine and Henry Lichstein Laura Ornest and Rick Leslie LEADERSHIP CO-CHAIRS LEADERSHIP CO-CHAIRS Nancy and Miles Rubin Sara Rutenberg LEADERSHIP CO-CHAIRS and Andrew Berman LEADERSHIP CO-CHAIRS Pacoima
Adult Services • Therapy and medication Pasadena • Clinic and field-based services Glendale • Integrated healthcare • Crisis residential treatment Los Angeles • Transition age youth Santa • Older adult services Monica Culver City • Wellness Centers Child & Family Services • Family-focused treatment Inglewood Downey • Birth-to-Five program • School-based therapy • Military families support • Trauma-focused treatment Torrance Anaheim
Orange Substance Use Disorder Services Long Beach • Substance use treatment Santa Ana • Adolescent treatment and prevention • Mother/child residential treatment • Homeless outreach Sepulveda Center Inglewood Center Orange County Center • Assessment, linkage and referrals 4760 S. Sepulveda Blvd. 323 N. Prairie Ave. 2021 E. 4th St., Suite 204 Culver City, CA 90230 Inglewood, CA 90301 Santa Ana, CA 92705 Suicide Prevention Services (310) 390-6612 (310) 677-7808 (714) 547-0885 • 24/7 bilingual Crisis Line Culver-Palms Center Jump Street S. Mark Taper • Crisis chat and text 11133 Washington Blvd. 1233 S. La Cienega Blvd. Foundation Center • Bereavement support and therapy Culver City, CA 90232 Los Angeles, CA 90035 1328 W. Manchester Ave. (310) 895-2300 (310) 855-0031 Los Angeles, CA 90044 • Survivors of Suicide Attempts groups (323) 778-9593 • Disaster Distress Helpline Excelsior House Mar Vista Center • Training, education and outreach 1007 Myrtle Ave. 12420 Venice Blvd., Suite 200 Via Avanta Inglewood, CA 90301 Los Angeles, CA 90066 Pacoima, CA • Suicide Response Team (310) 412-4191 (310) 751-1200 (818) 897-2609 • Research and innovation Glendale Center Metro Center 1540 E. Colorado St. 672 S. La Fayette Park Pl., Suite 6 Glendale, CA 91205 Los Angeles, CA 90057 www.didihirsch.org (818) 244-7257 (213) 381-3626 Kita S. Curry, PhD Didi Hirsch President/CEO
Since Dr. Kita S. Curry took the helm of Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services in 1999, services have more than doubled. A passionate advocate for community mental health, she is a member of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s Steering Committee and serves on the Los Angeles County Mental Health Commission.
Dr. Curry has testified before the California legislature and was appointed to California’s Advisory Committees on Suicide Prevention and on Stigma and Discrimination. A board member of several mental health and substance use providers’ associations, she served on the board of the National Council for Behavioral Health and is past board president of both the Los Angeles Association of Community Human Service Agencies (ACHSA) and the California Council of Community Behavioral Health Agencies (CCCBHA).
Her honors include an Eli Lilly Heroes in the Fight Award from NAMI Urban Los Angeles, SHero Award from former California Senator Curren Price, Jr., and 2016 Pioneer Woman of the Year Award from Councilmember Felipe Fuentes and Los Angeles Commission on the Status of Women. She also has been honored by The Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic and Southern California Psychiatric Society.
With a BA in English and a PhD in psychology, Kita is an award-winning poet, whose first full-length poetry collection,What Snakes Want, was published by Mayapple Press in May 2015. Transforming Lives for 75 Years
by Kita S. Curry, PhD
Much has changed over the last 75 years, but Didi Hirsch’s mission has We help at-risk families with children five or younger build a foundation been a constant. It all began during the Great Depression when families of resilience for the future. In almost 100 schools, our therapists identify were torn apart, emotionally and economically. Men left home seeking withdrawn and isolated students who often go overlooked. Substance work; mothers sent their hungry children to orphanages; those in use, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia commonly emerge as teens greatest pain took their lives. transition to young adulthood; early intervention reduces long-term damage—both to the brain and to hope. Rather than look the other way, a few compassionate women began funding therapy that normally only the wealthy could afford. It was so Adults and older adults with long-neglected or late onset illnesses can successful that they incorporated in 1942 with $5,000 and three become unmoored, losing contact with family, stable housing and a employees. What leaders they were. sense of purpose. Our intensive clinic-based and residential programs address basic necessities as well as overall health. It’s hard to think We now know that mental health disorders will challenge 50% of about treatment if you’re worrying about finding a meal and a place Americans at some point in their lives, and the need increases with to sleep. external stresses like economic downturns and war. There have been many since 1942—most recently the Great Recession of 2008 and the Today, we have a $45 million budget and a reach that extends far wars in Iraq and Afghanistan—with more looming on the horizon. beyond the Westside; our Suicide Prevention Center helps every state in Regardless of one’s age, Didi Hirsch helps those most vulnerable and in the nation. With the help of nearly 500 employees, 200 volunteers and greatest need, just as we did during World War II. thousands of supporters like you, we don’t look away when vulnerable children and adults need help. We step forward.
Thank you. Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services BOARD OF DIRECTORS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Christopher J. Harrer Betsy H. Breen Thomas J. Han, DDS, FACD Vera M. Jashni, EdD Chair
Rudolph I. Estrada Charlotte W. Fletcher, PhD Martin J. Frank Lewis C. Horne Janine B. Lichstein Gail Kamer Lieberfarb Laura Ornest Lisa Petrazzolo Executive Vice Chair Vice Chair Vice Chair Vice Chair
Pamela Kluft Michael C. Wierwille Carlos Garcia Andrew E. Rubin Sara Rutenberg Cheri Renfroe Yousem Secretary Treasurer Immediate Past Chair Legacy Society Members In Memoriam: Thank You, Curley L. Bonds, MD Robert E. Emerson Anette R. Brown Gerald Geismar Didi Hirsch Legacy Society Kita S. Curry, PhD and Peter W. Curry Edna H. Larkin Linda and Martin J. Frank Stanley D. Lelewer Kate Zimmermann Geismar Max Silver and Louise E. Light Individuals whose bequests and other estate gifts ensure access to mental health, substance use and suicide prevention services for Julianne Grossman-Deme Alexandria M. McAfee generations to come Todd Hays Judith Anne Phillips Sharon Kopman and Jason Kay Trust Guy Righter Legacy Society Founders Mary Lelewer Marjorie J. Schoenberg Honoring those who have made planned gift Janine and Henry Lichstein Terrence V. Scott commitments of $1,000,000 or more Francine Chandler Righter Eileen J. Vogt Richard Ross, PhD Michael Becker Joel Safranek The Tony Ross Memorial Fund Cynthia Chaillie Marchant Jilliene F. Schenkel Created through the generosity of his father, Richard Ross Andrew E. Rubin Susan Goran Sobel Lisa and Michael C. Wierwille 2017 Sponsors
PRESENTING SPONSOR PATRON (CONTINUED) SPONSOR SPONSOR (CONTINUED) Nancy and Miles Rubin Andrew E. Rubin Alliance Pharmacy Vicki Reynolds and Vicki and Roger Sant Anonymous Murray Pepper VISIONARY Fletcher Family Foundation Susan Goren Sobel, DDS Wendi Anton Resnick and Phillips & Associates Jon and Jeffrey Stern Robert Resnick Poppy Properties CHAMPION Curley L. Bonds, MD / Murphy and Ed Romano Berman/Rutenberg Family UBS Financial Services, Inc. Donald Meland, MD Shirley and Ralph Shapiro Kita S. Curry, PhD and Wells Fargo Bank Jody Briskin and Peter W. Curry Mary and Jeffrey Zients Judy and Allan Sher Bruce Spector Linda and Martin J. Frank Spectrum Sports ADVOCATE Margot and Joseph Calabrese Management, Inc. Jami and Nikolaus Heidegger Aileen Adams and Geoffrey Cowan Canon USA Ultimate Software The Lichstein Family Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. City National Bank Denise and Russel Tyner Ornest Family Foundation Rita and Ernest Bogen First Republic Bank Verdugo Clinic Pharmacy Roberta and Stanley Bogen BENEFACTOR Leslie Gilbert-Lurie Judy and Marvin Wolf Ric and Suzanne Kayne The Breen Family Fund Vicky and Chip Goodman Joel Wyatt and Raul Maldonado Warren and Gail Cedars-Sinai Alison and Alex Hersel Cheri Renfroe Yousem Kamer Lieberfarb Bonnie Strauss and Roger Gould Industrial Metal Supply Eileen and Robert Zigman PATRON Thomas J. Han, DDS, FACD Company AIDS Healthcare Foundation Harman Family Foundation Cindy and Jack Jones East West Bank Hirschman Clinical Services Ronnie and Michael Kassan Joseph K. & Inez Eichenbaum Maria Hummer-Tuttle and The Honorable Joyce Kean Foundation Bob Tuttle and Dr. Herbert Kean Barney and Patrice Hirsch John Aaroe Group Pamela and Earl Kluft Feinstein Key Drug Pharmacy Cynthia Louise Kolodny Mimi and Carlos Garcia Sandy Krause Kim Kowsky and The Horne Family Lionsgate Television Sheldon Cohn Metromedia Company Nigro Karlin Segal Feldstein & Michael J. Libow Miller & Desatnik Bolno, LLC Lincoln Financial Group Management Co., Inc. Northern Trust Wendy and Barry Meyer The Morrison & Foerster Primary Care PA Program at the Nancy Miller Foundation Keck School of Medicine of USC Lyn Morris, LMFT Merle and Peter Mullin Signature Insurance Group Lisa Petrazzolo and Anthony & Jeanne Pritzker Sony Pictures Entertainment Emile Gladstone Family Foundation U.S. Trust Bank of America Melissa Rivers Private Wealth Management Lisa and Michael C. Wierwille PRESENTING SPONSOR PRESENTING SPONSOR
In Praise of Kita
Her character, soul, spirit, and wisdom. Always shine through. Nancy and Miles VISIONARY VISIONARY
Dear Kita, A Special Thank You Our Fearless Leader To All Of The Dedicated Employees, Administrative Staff, And Volunteers You Embody That “Do or Die” Spirit At Didi Hirsch. That Inspires Us And Continues To Move Us All Forward. You Are Truly Making A We Honor Your Steadfast Efforts On Behalf Difference In This World. Of Didi Hirsch And Erasing The Stigma.
Love, Charlotte and Jeremy Charlotte W. Fletcher, PhD CHAMPION CHAMPION
The great use of life is to spend it for Dear Board, something that will outlast it Staff and Volunteers, —William James
The poverty, unemployment and despair of the I LOVE MY JOB…because of your Great Depression moved compassionate women to extraordinary compassion, generous spirits fund treatment for distressed adults. and personal commitment to erasing stigma. As psychiatric hospitals discharged thousands of clients without alternative care, Didi and King Thank you for bringing our mission to life. Hirsch funded the expansion that transformed the For transforming lives where stigma or agency into a Community Mental Health Center. poverty limits access to care. Three generations later, the family continues to support our present and future.
Honoring King & Didi Hirsch With gratitude and pride, & their children, grandchildren Kita and great-grandchildren CHAMPION CHAMPION
CONGRATULATIONS THANK YOU
LEADERSHIP CO-CHAIRS Kita S. Curry, PhD and Peter W. Curry Charlotte W. Fletcher, PhD and Jeremy B. Fletcher Jami and Nikolaus Heidegger Janine and Henry Lichstein Judy Collins Laura Ornest and Rick Leslie Nancy and Miles Rubin Sara Rutenberg and Andrew Berman
Anna Akana EVENT CHAIR Laura Ornest Paul Dalio EVENT COMMITTEE Rudolph I. Estrada Christopher J. Harrer Janine Lichstein Lisa Petrazzolo Sara Rutenberg Cheri Renfroe Yousem
You inspire us! Your hard work and dedication are invaluable to Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services’ goal of Erasing the Stigma! Linda and Marty Frank Linda and Marty Frank LEADERSHIP CO-CHAIRS LEADERSHIP CO-CHAIRS CHAMPION CHAMPION
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent ERASING the Stigma 2017 about things that matter. Martin Luther King, Jr. In loving memory of our son, brother and uncle, Daniel Asher Lichstein It is… 1971-1991 • An honor to be a member of the Didi Hirsch Board of Directors “A blank verse poem of horrid meaninglessness. • Inspiring to work with our leader, When all my crazy world is but a scene, Dr. Kita Curry and nothing never really seems had been, you might then let me take your hand in hand • Humbling to observe such a and we could walk upon still, soundless, night dedicated staff where our whispers roar with lion’s certainty and gestures bound with dolphin’s gentle leaps • A joy to serve many in need, and… and kisses, kisses light us like a sun; • Imperative to Erase the Stigma! so a full sure world of day is built by us, till hand in hand and word for word and touch for touch for touch you lead me back to our dream and tonight we are all that seems to be save wordless empty nightmare world held down inside.” Congratulations to all of this year’s honorees – Daniel Lichstein, 1991
Janine and Henry Lichstein Janine, Henry, Zander, Morina and Oliver Lichstein CHAMPION CHAMPION
Thank you Congratulations to the JUDY COLLINS Development Team of PAUL DALIO Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services ANNA AKANA
Your energy and dedication inspire me
It has been a pleasure working with Thank You all of you to create this year’s LEADERSHIP CO-CHAIRS Erasing the Stigma Leadership Awards for your support and generosity as we mark this point in history
75 YEARS OF SERVICE!
Laura Ornest Laura Ornest Ornest Family Foundation CHAMPION CHAMPION
A Letter To My Beloved Daughter Julie Renee
Every day I sit in your room And meditate and pray that I’m shown the way There’s a smile on my face looking at all you left behind I want you to know you are always on my mind All of your stuffed animals that you hugged with such delight Dearest Aunt Julie, Specially Mr. Teddy Bear you slept with all through the night Today we celebrate your life. Although I never Your books lined up from Chaucer to had the opportunity to meet you, your soul is Sigmund Freud perpetually with me. In fact, you have been Your art hanging on the wall that one can’t with me since the moment I entered this avoid world. The first moment my lungs expanded You made colorful pillows with air, you were watching over me as you The spread for your bed smiled with your piercing green eyes and The way you always planned ahead long black hair. You have never left my side since. You continued to inspire me throughout You were getting ready to finish your studies my childhood. You smiled as I painted ever at UCLA so peacefully in your room. You giggled Unfortunately your illness got in the way as grandpa swizzled me in the pool. Your You were a gift given to us for 20 short years presence captivated kitchen as grandma and Every time I think of you I smile, no more tears I baked to our hearts content. My sweet Julie, With your flowing black hair your presence and your memory continue Your eyes so intensely green on forever. Each adventure that I embark To me, you were the prettiest gal on the scene on is your adventure. I feel your joy during There’s a few things I saved like your precious moments of happiness and your warm touch pink muff of comfort during moments of sadness. And a lot of other non-sensible stuff Thank you Julie, for inspiration me to the Today I peeked out of your window woman that I am today. You have taught me What did I see? to be a kind, passionate, and compassionate A white butterfly, so delicate and free human being. I love you my dear Aunt Julie. I Fluttering about from tree to tree will always love you. Are you sending a message to me? Julie can you hear me when I talk to you? Love, I think…no… I know you do Your Niece, Lauren
Till we meet again my beloved Till we meet again.
Always, Mommy BENEFACTOR BENEFACTOR
To the Erasing the Stigma Honorees and Emcee Judy Collins Paul Dalio Anna Akana Melissa Rivers
Congratulations 75Congratulations Thank you for reaching so many with your words Changing lives with your message on And helping to erase mental health stigma
To Kita S. Curry, PhD And the professional staff at Didi Hirsch YEARS OF SERVICE! Thank you for transforming and saving lives every day
Ric and Suzanne Kayne Warren and Gail Kamer Lieberfarb PATRON PATRON
To the Staff: Thank you so much for the work that you do
Your compassion and professionalism with which you treat your clients makes us proud and profoundly grateful
Warmly, The Family of Didi Hirsch PATRON PATRON
Carlos Garcia & Family are proud to support Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services and to honor the leaders who help erase the stigma of mental illness PATRON PATRON
We are committed to supporting the accomplishments of Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services PATRON PATRON
WE THANK
FOR MAKING AN ENORMOUS DIFFERENCE. Congratulations to Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services on celebrating 75 years
Your Supporters, Merle and Peter Mullin Melissa Rivers PATRON PATRON
Congratulations In Loving Memory of to Anna Akana Judy Collins Paul Dalio
for your courageous work to help erase the stigma of mental illness And to Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services on its 75th Anniversary
Andrew E. Rubin, former chair of DHMHS and this event and J. Gordon and Phyllis Rubin (both deceased) who taught me that one person Danny Sobel can make a difference PATRON PATRON PATRON PATRON
CONGRATULATIONS
on 21 glorious events
Jon and Jeffrey Stern ADVOCATE ADVOCATE
In honor of Laura Ornest”. The Joseph K. & Inez Eichenbaum Foundation
We are proud to support Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services and the extraordinary services you provide.
The Breen Family Fund ADVOCATE ADVOCATE Congratulations 21st Anniversary Erasing the Stigma Leadership Awards Recipients CongratulationsCongratulations
Sandy Krause & We are proud of Bill Fitzgerald the important works of Didi Hirsch Mental 3700 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 780 Los Angeles, CA 90010 Health Services (213) 380-7900 www.thomashandds.com WpD Dental Group & Dr. Thomas Han www.wpddentalgroup.com ADVOCATE ADVOCATE
Northern Trust is proud to support Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services
Congratulations on celebrating 75 years of helping to erase the stigma of mental illness
Christopher J. Harrer Chairman, Board of Directors Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services
For more information contact: Christopher J. Harrer Senior Wealth Strategist | Northern Trust 310-282-3854 | [email protected] www.northerntrust.com
WEALTH PLANNING | BANKING | TRUST & ESTATE SERVICES | INVESTING | FAMILY OFFICE ADVOCATE ADVOCATE
SIGNATURE INSURANCE congratulates the 2017 Erasing the Stigma Leadership Awards Honorees and proudly supports the important work of Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services! ADVOCATE 75TH ANNIVERSARY 75TH ANNIVERSARY 75TH ANNIVERSARY
Dearest Nancy Your To all the Rubins Grace Grit Passion In gratitude, for the work Quietly moves mountains they do at Didi Hirsch. We celebrate you!
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With love, Bonnie Strauss & Roger Gould Rita and Ernie Bogen Vicki & Max Kennedy 75TH ANNIVERSARY 75TH ANNIVERSARY
Thanks to Andrew Rubin for all of his hard work Roberta and Stanley Bogen on behalf of Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services 75TH ANNIVERSARY 75TH ANNIVERSARY 75TH ANNIVERSARY 75TH ANNIVERSARY
Congratulations Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services for 75 Years of Service. And to this year’s honorees: Anna Akana We are proud to acknowledge Paul Dalio Judy Collins for her continued support of We salute you! Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services MELISSA RIVERS 75TH ANNIVERSARY 75TH ANNIVERSARY
Congratulations In memory of Ruth Ornest ANNA AKANA whose grace and style ThankJUDY COLLINS you will be missed PAUL DALIO
75 years of Erasing the Stigma DIDI HIRSCH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES Marvin and Judy Wolf 75TH ANNIVERSARY 75TH ANNIVERSARY
Thank you to the honorees for your important work
Maria Hummer-Tuttle and Bob Tuttle SPONSOR SPONSOR SPONSOR SPONSOR
Congratulations to all the honorees:
JUDY COLLINS PAUL DALIO and ANNA AKANA
and a special thank you to the amazing Gail Kamer Lieberfarb for her dedication to erase the stigma and improve the lives of people who live with a mental illness.
With great admiration,
Vicky and Chip Goodman SPONSOR SPONSOR
WeWe proudlyproudly supportsupport We are pleased to join thethe dedicateddedicated workwork ofof in honoring and thanking DidiDidi HirschHirsch MentalMental HealthHealth ServicesServices Nancy and Miles Rubin andand thethe leadershipleadership throughoutthroughout for their wonderful thethe manymany years.years. commitment and service to Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services and to our entire community
VERDUGO CLINIC PHARMACY Kirk T. Hiura Shirley & Ralph Shapiro Doctor of Pharmacy 1540 E. Colorado Street, Glendale, CA 91205 (818) 550-0218 SPONSOR SPONSOR
Your illness doesn’t define you. Your strength and courage does.
Thank you to Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services and everyone who gives their heart and soul to help!
Murphy and Ed Romano SPONSOR SPONSOR
Margot & Joe Calabrese NANCY RUBIN proudly support Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services With love and admiration and congratulate the honorees for their help in erasing the stigma of mental illness Leslie and Cliff Gilbert-Lurie
In loving memory of our son CONGRATULATIONS William “Billy” E. Estrada. DIDI HIRSCH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES Let’s remember the great times that we left behind, For 75 Years of Excellent Service let’s never forget the memories that were yours, ours and mine… Cindy and Jack Jones Virginia M. Estrada SPONSOR SPONSOR
For my son Warren California Dreamur THANK YOU Years have passed since I’ve held you, Yet I still feel your presence. DIDI HIRSCH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES Your face smiles encouragement from the walls. My dearest son, Don Quijote, You are off on another quest, For 75 years of exemplary community support but there is no Sancho Panza to care for you. Off you drive, CONGRATULATIONS TO THE HONOREES hands on the wheel of your Rozinante, a green Mustang convertible, filled with records, clothes, correspondence. Judy Collins Rescuing friends, tilting windmills of the monsters in your mind, Paul Dalio leaving behind your Dulcinea, Leticia. Your face grows sadder. Anna Akana Mountains of clouds crowd closer. You act, shooting a gun, killing the enemy within, Dr. Herbert Kean and The Honorable Joyce Kean and my beloved son without. Riding away from the sunsets of my life. Cynthia Kolodny
Budget Mortgage Corp is proud to support PAMELA KLUFT Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services For erasing stigma and giving hope and help to vulnerable families in our communities SPONSOR SPONSOR
In a world where discrimination and prejudice In memory of do not exclude those with mental illnesses, I am proud to support the amazing and life-altering Janet Steinberg’s work of Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services beautiful soul. with a special accolade to Laura Ornest. Her presence and spirit
Michael J. Libow will be missed by so many.
Dear Staff and Volunteers, Thank you for making a positive Love and Congratulations to difference in the lives of so many. You are appreciated! NANCY AND MILES
With gratitude, The Clinical Operations and Victor and Cathryn Quality and Innovation Divisions SPONSOR SPONSOR
Congratulations 2017 Honorees
Thank you for your dedication to Erase the Stigma
Lisa Petrazzolo & Emile Gladstone SPONSOR SPONSOR
Congratulations We are truly grateful Nancy & Miles Rubin for what every member of the staff and board and every volunteer does to provide our community For Your Tireless Efforts with the desperately needed services of To Erase The Stigma Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services. And To All The Leadership Honorees We must add a special shout out, love and appreciation to our dear friend, Event Chair and Board Member, Affectionately, Laura Ornest. Vicki Reynolds & Murray Pepper Jody Briskin & Bruce Spector
Judy and Allan Sher SPONSOR SPONSOR
OUR GREATEST GLORY IS NOT IN NEVER FALLING, BUT IN RISING EVERY TIME WE FALL ‑ Confucius
Cheri Renfroe Yousem
Thank you Congratulations Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services Didi Hirsch for 75 years of service and in celebrating 75 years of helping those in need for efforts to erase stigma to live healthy, happy and productive lives.
Joel Wyatt Robert & Eileen Zigman SPONSOR
Thank you to the staff of Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services. Best Wishes to Because NANCY CARES CONGRATULATIONS TO DIDI HIRSCH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES & DIDI HIRSCH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES From Because ON ITS EXEMPLARY WORK Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. Goldstine WE LOVE HER
Goldstine, Skrodzki, Russian, Nemec and Hoff, Ltd.
CONNIE BRUCK and MEL LEVINE Burr Ridge, IL 60527
www.gsrnh.com Letty & Bert
We proudly salute tonight’s honorees and Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services for 75 years of making a positive impact in our community Erasing the Stigma Honorary Committee
United States Senator Diane Feinstein Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis United States Senator Kamala D. Harris Los Angeles County Health Services Director Dr. Mitchell H. Katz United States Congressmember Karen Bass Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett United States Congressmember Tony Cardenas Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens United States Congressmember Grace Napolitano Glendale Mayor Paula Devine United States Congressmember Adam B. Schiff Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts, Jr. United States Congressmember Maxine Waters Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti California State Senate President ProTempore Kevin de León Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg California State Senator Ben Allen Inglewood City Councilmember Ralph L. Franklin California State Senator Robert M. Hertzberg Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson California State Senator Holly J. Mitchell Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin California State Senator Janet Nguyen Los Angeles City Councilmember Joe Buscaino California State Senator Anthony Portantino Los Angeles City Councilmember Gil Cedillo California State Assemblymember Richard Bloom Los Angeles City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson California State Assemblymember Raul Bocanegra Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz California State Assemblymember Laura Friedman Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price, Jr. California State Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer Los Angeles City Councilmember David Ryu California State Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomas National Council for Behavioral Health President & CEO Linda Rosenberg Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger Association of Community Human Service Agencies Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn Executive Director Bruce Saltzer Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl California Council of Community Mental Health Agencies Director of Public Policy Rusty Selix Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas
21st Annual Erasing the Stigma Leadership Awards
Thursday, April 27, 2017
It is with great honor that I extend my warmest congratulations to Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services on the occasion of celebrating “75 Years of Service”, with this year’s 21st annual Erasing the Stigma Leadership Awards. I look forward to the future with great enthusiasm as Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services continues to lead a monumental effort by serving over 111,000 people in the areas of mental health, substance use disorders, and suicide prevention. Thank you for your impact in our community.
I also want to salute tonight’s honorees: Anna Akana, Judy Collins, and Paul Dalio. Because of their creativity and extraordinary story-telling, they have helped break the silence and erase the stigma against mental illness. I commend them for their major contributions to our community and thank them for their commitment and service.
Sincerely,
REGINALD BYRON JONES-SAWYER, SR. Assemblymember, 59th District
Suicide Prevention Center
• 24/7 bilingual Crisis Line • Suicide Response Team
• Crisis chat & text • Survivors of Suicide Attempts groups • Research & innovation • Disaster Distress Helpline • Bereavement support & therapy • Training, education & outreach Shelby Kocee Justin Gordon Adrian Gaeta 24/7 Crisis Line Dan Sykes Shannan Reeve 800-273-8255 Bianca Gisselle Marrero English/Spanish Timothy Liese eventsbyone.com 310.659.5517 Crisis Chat
@oneeventmanagement @EventsByOne didihirsch.org/chat Didi Hirsch thanks the following donors for fueling our runners and walkers at Alive & Running 2016:
Save the Date! Sunday, September 24, 2017
Funds raised support those who have attempted or are grieving the suicide of a loved one.
www.AliveandRunning.org Didi Hirsch is proud to partner with Didi Hirsch is proud to partner with
Together we are in its mission to build making a difference! stronger communities SPECIAL THANKS Acknowledgments
Art Direction Services Extra Express Curtis Hill Guttman Associates PR The Beverly Hilton Hotel Le Studio Photography Didi Hirsch Staff Lionsgate Television Jacqueline Buda Mercury Mailing Systems Joey Buda Penguin Random House Jeanne Indjayan Put Together Media Ayanna Keeling The Social Graces Kim Kowsky Annalisa Krol Vachon Productions Marsha Lombard Carin Wong Floral Janine Perron Weber Printing Joel Wyatt Encore Event Technologies Events by ONE Greg Richardson Shelby Kocee Justin Gordon Adrian Gaeta Dan Sykes Shannan Reeve Bianca Gisselle Marrero Timothy Liese Save the Date!
Erasing the Stigma Leadership Awards
Thursday, April 26, 2018
In memory of a powerful voice for mental health advocacy for the past several decades
CARRIE FISHER 1956 – 2016
2002 Erasing the Stigma Leadership Award