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By Aaron LeClair
Boomerang Staff Writer
An Albany County resident and a drug treatment program at the Peak Wellness Center will be honored by the state at an awards ceremony in Cheyenne next week.
Dallas Curry and the Albany County SAGE program both will receive the Starfish Award from the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Division of the Wyoming Department of Health at a dinner Thursday that will be attended by Gov. Dave Freudenthal and the First Lady Nancy Freudenthal.
The Starfish Awards are given annually to individuals and programs that have shown unique and extraordinary leadership in helping those who suffer because of mental illness and/or an addiction disease, according to a press release from the Wyoming Department of Health.
The award also recognizes persons or families who are in recovery from substance abuse or a mental health disorder.
The name of the Starfish Award is based upon a famous story about a young boy who throws starfish back into the ocean to keep them from dying.
“The boy agrees with someone who asks that he can’t save them all, but points out that what he is doing made a huge difference to the starfish he just touched,” Rodger McDaniel, deputy director of the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Division, said in a press release.
McDaniel said the Starfish Award honors the dedication that both Curry and the Albany County SAGE program have shown in helping people who suffer from mental health and substance abuse diseases.
“These awards acknowledge those who work tirelessly to improve the lives of people suffering from mental illness and/or addictions,” he said. “There are countless people in this state who work tirelessly to meet the challenges. With these awards, we want to shine a light on the many Wyoming success stories.”
Curry is a peer specialist employed by the Peak Wellness Center. He works with persons suffering from a mental illness disorder.
“Dallas Curry has made his life an example of the difference one person can make,” McDaniel said. “He is a compassionate mentor and a courageous advocate. His willingness to speak out against discrimination against persons with mental illness sets an important example for all of us.”
“It’s nice to be honored for the work you do,” Curry said in a telephone interview Friday.
A peer specialist is someone who takes what they have learned from dealing with their own mental illness and uses that knowledge and experience to help others.
Curry said he’s been a peer specialist for about 2½ years. He has lived in Laramie since 1997.
“It’s something I really love,” he said about being a peer specialist. “The people I work with are awesome. This is, by far, my favorite job.”
Albany County SAGE, meanwhile, works with at-risk children and families to help improve their lives. McDaniel said these types of programs are sorely needed throughout the state.
Wyoming places at-risk children in out-of-home facilities at a rate higher than any other state, has high drop-out rates in public schools and fails to provide children who need mental health services the help that they need, all of which underscores the importance of Albany County SAGE, he said.
“Albany County SAGE has done that by adopting an approach which begins by asking at-risk families what they need and by then meeting those needs,” McDaniel said in the press release.
“This model program meets those needs by coordinating existing services and working to provide others so that child and family needs are met in the community.”
For more information about the Starfish Award, visit http://wdh.state.wy.us/mhsa/initiatives/starfish.html.
Aaron LeClair’s e-mail address is lbedit7@laramieboomerang.com
Dallas Curry and the Albany County SAGE program both will receive the Starfish Award from the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Division of the Wyoming Department of Health at a dinner Thursday that will be attended by Gov. Dave Freudenthal and the First Lady Nancy Freudenthal.
The Starfish Awards are given annually to individuals and programs that have shown unique and extraordinary leadership in helping those who suffer because of mental illness and/or an addiction disease, according to a press release from the Wyoming Department of Health.
The award also recognizes persons or families who are in recovery from substance abuse or a mental health disorder.
The name of the Starfish Award is based upon a famous story about a young boy who throws starfish back into the ocean to keep them from dying.
“The boy agrees with someone who asks that he can’t save them all, but points out that what he is doing made a huge difference to the starfish he just touched,” Rodger McDaniel, deputy director of the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Division, said in a press release.
McDaniel said the Starfish Award honors the dedication that both Curry and the Albany County SAGE program have shown in helping people who suffer from mental health and substance abuse diseases.
“These awards acknowledge those who work tirelessly to improve the lives of people suffering from mental illness and/or addictions,” he said. “There are countless people in this state who work tirelessly to meet the challenges. With these awards, we want to shine a light on the many Wyoming success stories.”
Curry is a peer specialist employed by the Peak Wellness Center. He works with persons suffering from a mental illness disorder.
“Dallas Curry has made his life an example of the difference one person can make,” McDaniel said. “He is a compassionate mentor and a courageous advocate. His willingness to speak out against discrimination against persons with mental illness sets an important example for all of us.”
“It’s nice to be honored for the work you do,” Curry said in a telephone interview Friday.
A peer specialist is someone who takes what they have learned from dealing with their own mental illness and uses that knowledge and experience to help others.
Curry said he’s been a peer specialist for about 2½ years. He has lived in Laramie since 1997.
“It’s something I really love,” he said about being a peer specialist. “The people I work with are awesome. This is, by far, my favorite job.”
Albany County SAGE, meanwhile, works with at-risk children and families to help improve their lives. McDaniel said these types of programs are sorely needed throughout the state.
Wyoming places at-risk children in out-of-home facilities at a rate higher than any other state, has high drop-out rates in public schools and fails to provide children who need mental health services the help that they need, all of which underscores the importance of Albany County SAGE, he said.
“Albany County SAGE has done that by adopting an approach which begins by asking at-risk families what they need and by then meeting those needs,” McDaniel said in the press release.
“This model program meets those needs by coordinating existing services and working to provide others so that child and family needs are met in the community.”
For more information about the Starfish Award, visit http://wdh.state.wy.us/mhsa/initiatives/starfish.html.
Aaron LeClair’s e-mail address is lbedit7@laramieboomerang.com
