It was an evening of awareness and fighting the stigmas against mental illness on Thursday night, as two-time Golden Globe-nominated actor Chris Noth hosted the National Alliance on Mental Illness-NYC Metro’s (NAMI-NYC Metro) annual “Seeds of Hope” gala in New York City.
Approximately 500 supporters were in attendance which was the highest attendees to date and the $260K was the highest ever raised for the many programs of NAMI-NYC Metro including its three psycho-education courses, peer-to-peer support groups and public education events that help thousands of New York City residents each year.
In addition to the honorees, the event featured a live performance by local music artist Jenna Kyle who was featured on the recent #IWillListen album. Those honored included Representative Patrick Kennedy for his commitment to mental health being treated with the same importance as physical health; Shari Goldfarb, Director, Benefits, HR for Deutsche Bank, for her leadership in the corporate community and overseeing the first #IWillListen Campaign; and Dr. Lisa Dixon, Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center and Director of the Center for Practice Innovations at New York State Psychiatric Institute and NAMI-NYC Metro Board Member.
“Tonight was a very special evening and an important one for NAMI-NYC Metro,” said Wendy Brennan, Executive Director. Through our #IWillListen campaign, we asked our country to listed to their loved ones impacted by mental illness. 75% of people who will be diagnosed with mental illness will show signs and symptoms by age 24. Tonight we introduced our Young Adult Programming and emphasized the importance of early detection and treatment."
Notable attendees included: Silvia Alvarez, State Press Secretary, Senator Cory Booker’s office; Joe Pyle, President of the Thomas Scattergood Foundation, and Bob Dibble, Managing Director and Head of Human Resources, Deutsch Bank. Celebrities in attendance included Zach Grenier (The Good Wife), and Otoja Abit (The Blacklist).
