PORTLAND — Spurwink Services has announced the 2018 honorees for the 32nd annual Humanitarian Awards gala, an event honoring individuals and corporations who exemplify Spurwink’s mission of helping those affected by mental health challenges and developmental disabilities, as well as underserved and vulnerable populations.
The event will take place from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, at Thompson’s Point; more than 400 guests are expected to attend. Event co-chairs are Melissa Lalumiere and Erin Ovalle.
Danielle M. Conway, dean and professor of law, University of Maine Law School; Sun Life Financial; Richard Tryon, co-founder and former executive director, Community Partners, Inc., will be this year’s recipients.
The gala theme is “A Night in Casablanca” and features cocktails, dinner, a live and silent auction, and award presentation. The evening’s program will focus on the work being done by Spurwink’s Outpatient and Community Services, which provides case management, psychiatric evaluation, and outpatient therapy for children and adults statewide. Attendees will also learn about the work being done with refugee families and individuals who may have trauma from experiencing war and other events in their home countries. This includes the new ShifaME program, funded by a $5 million federal SAMHSA grant, to provide therapeutic care to refugee girls in Lewiston, Portland and Biddeford.
“This year’s honorees are truly making a difference in the lives of those in need of support,” said Eric Meyer, Spurwink president and CEO. “Dean Conway’s work with rural communities and providing legal support for refugees and asylum seekers mirrors the work Spurwink is doing with those in crisis through our Outpatient and Community Services care coordinators and clinicians; Corporate Care Award recipient Sun Life Financial has been a tremendous agency supporter, including providing funding for gardens at our residential homes in Chelsea and Portland, as well as placing one of our pre-vocational students in their Scarborough office to gain valuable office skills; and Dick Tryon, honored with the Going the Distance award, founded Community Partners, Inc. – recently merged with Spurwink – to provide adults with developmental disabilities an opportunity to live with dignity and success.”
A nationally accredited non-profit organization, Spurwink provides a broad range of behavioral health and educational services throughout Maine.
