Attitudes In Reverse® (AIR™), a Princeton-based nonprofit that aims to save lives through mental-health and suicide-prevention education, received the People’s Choice Award as part of the Child Mind Institute’s Change Maker Awards program. The award was accepted by Co-Founders Tricia and Kurt Baker. Also attending were Co-Founder Katelyn Baker, Board member Shauna Moses, Volunteer Kaleb Sacco and supporters Craig Kramer, Mental Health Ambassador and Chair, Global Campaign on Mental Health, Johnson & Johnson, and Ann Monahan, Financial Advisor, Merrill Lynch.
AIR joins the ranks of six-time Academy Award-nominated actress Glenn Close, who co-founded Bring Change to Mind and received the Activist Award from the Child Mind Institute, and Jamie Tworkowski, Founder of To Write Love on Her Arms, who received the Community Builder Award. Also in attendance was New York City First Lady Chirlane McCray as one of the award presenters.
“The Change Maker Awards celebrate people and organizations that are creating real, meaningful change for children struggling with mental health and learning disorders. From the professionals putting in long hours for the children and families they serve to the advocates bringing mental health awareness to the national stage, our honorees inspire us with their passion for changing the way we understand and treat our children,” as described on the Child Mind Institute’s website (https://childmind.org/).
“We know we saved so many kids’ lives. They come up to us and thank us at our presentations, and I hear from them through Twitter, Facebook and e-mail,” Tricia Baker said. “There are so many young people struggling and we have to change the way we talk about it. We have to make it okay so they understand there’s no difference between having a brain illness and having any other type of illness.”
“Middle schools are the high schools of my generation. Things are happening at much younger ages now,” said Kurt Baker. “We started talking to second and third graders about understanding their brains and understanding good health. And we’re talking to teachers and administrators about creating a true community of kindness on a year-round basis. That message is getting through. They understand it’s important to take care of the entire child – the brain and the body.”
Annual Event Enables AIR to Send its Message to the Broader Community
AIR will host its annual Miki & Friends 5K Walk & Run for AIR event on May 19, 2018 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Mercer County Park, East Picnic Area, 1346 Edinburg Road, West Windsor, New Jersey. This event is sponsored by Bee Fit with Tracy, a website created by health coach Tracy Sipprelle; Fly High Coby, a nonprofit that share’s AIR’s mission; the law firms of Stark & Stark and
Szaferman, Lakind, Blumstein & Blader, P.C.; PerformCare New Jersey, a full-service behavioral health managed care company, supporting members in the public sector; Princeton Brain and Spine; and Iggy Bragg Design, Ltd.
The event will feature a 5K run that is certified by USA Track & Field, a 5K walk, demonstrations of dogs’ diverse talents, live music and a butterfly release ceremony to honor loved ones who were lost too soon. It is a fun event for families, including dogs who are well behaved and get along with other dogs. For details please visit www.attitudesinreverse.org or send an e-mail to info@attitudesinreverse.org.
