PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY (May 18, 2021) – During its annual Miki & Friends OPEN AIR® event, Attitudes In Reverse® (AIR®), a Princeton-based nonprofit whose mission is to save lives through mental-health and suicide-prevention education, will present AIR Hero Awards to Chief Robert Garofalo and Sergeant David Jelinksi of the West Windsor Police Department and Dr. Thomas Smith, Superintendent, and teachers from the Hopewell Valley Regional School District (HVRSD). The event will be held on May 22, 2021 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at West Windsor Community Park.
“Police Chief Garofalo and Sergeant Jelinski have contributed tremendous support to AIR®over the past several years. They have conducted fundraisers, assign officers to ensure everyone’s safety at our events and helped build awareness of our organization, our mission and the importance of mental health education,” said AIR® Co-Founder Kurt Baker, YMHFA, CFP®.
“Dr. Smith reached out to AIR in 2019 to have us train him, several teachers and their dogs to be AIR Therapy Dog Teams so that at least one therapy dog is at every school throughout the district. We are currently training the second group of HRVSD educators and their dogs, who will graduate in June,” AIR Co-Founder Tricia Baker, YMHFA, CPDT-KA, stated. “The program is clearly having profound, lasting benefits on students, as well as the staff.”
“We look forward to honoring our AIR® Heroes during our annual walk, which is always an enjoyable, memorable and impactful event,” the Bakers added.
Event Also Features 5K Walk and Live Music
The event will also feature a 5K walk for families, including dogs, with social distancing guidelines in place and live musical performances by New Jersey teens KD’s Music and Kyler St. Phard and students from Fusion Academy of Princeton.
Registration to participate in the event and to have loved ones honored during the butterfly release ceremony is available at www.walkforair.org.
This event is sponsored by 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 Oaks Integrated Care.
Other supporters and donors include Iggy Bragg Design, Ltd., EASEL Animal Rescue League, Home Care Vets and VCA Twin Rivers Animal Hospital.
