MOMENTUM UNVEILS KEYNOTE SPEAKER FOR 2010 SHINING STARS LUNCHEON
San Jose, Calif – February 22, 2010 – Momentum for Mental Health, the leading non-profit provider of mental health services in Santa Clara County, today named Lizzie Simon as the keynote speaker for its 2010 Shining Star Luncheon. A veteran mental health advocate, Simon is the author of DETOUR: My Bipolar Roadtrip in 4D, a personal account of her experience living with a mental illness.
A 2003 recipient of the Eli Lilly Helping Lives Move Forward Re-integration Award, alongside Congressman Patrick Kennedy and Rosalyn Carter, Simon relishes each opportunity to impact the lives of others with her story. “I am humbled by this opportunity,” said Simon. “I came to mental health advocacy because I had to deal with bipolar disorder when I was a teenager. At that time, there was little information available for me and my family.” She speaks at high schools, universities and to other mental health groups across the country in an effort to help curtail or obliterate the stigma that surrounds mental illness.
The Shining Stars Luncheon is an annual celebration of the spirit of hope rising above and beyond the stigma of mental illness. The luncheon honors individuals and organizations for their outstanding contributions to the awareness and education to eradicate the stigma that surrounds mental illness. Emceed by Judge LaDoris Cordell, a retired Santa Clara County Superior Court judge and a staunch advocate for people living with mental illnesses, the luncheon seeks to use the opportunity to educate the public about how stigma harms those with mental illnesses.
“I look forward to the day mental health stigma will be a thing of the past,” said Judge Cordell. “However, with each day’s work; with each event; and by educating the public, the awardees and many others are slowly chipping it away.”
The 2010 Shining Star Luncheon is slated for May 7 at the Santa Clara Marriot Hotel from 11:30a.m-1:30p.m. For media contact, additional information and/or reservations, please call Kwesi Wilson at (408) 254-6828 extension 1213 or email Kwilson2@MomentumMH.org. You can also visit www.momentumformentalhealth.org to learn more about the Shining Stars Luncheon and other events.
