The New Jersey Governor's Council on Mental Health Stigma is proud to announce the premier of our Ambassador Award. The Ambassador Award embodies the Council's philosophy of Respect. Understanding. Change. The award will recognize individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the fight against mental health stigma. The Council seeks to award those who champion our mission to raise awareness about mental health stigma, educate the public about mental illness, and engage our communities in the process of embracing mental health.

We are reaching out to New Jerseyans to find out whom you think is making a difference in the fight against mental health stigma. All nominees should either live or work in the state of New Jersey. We are seeking nominees from outside the field of mental health; individuals and organizations from the greater New Jersey community as reflected in the following list of categories:

Individuals and Families
Culture and Religion
Education
Employment
Health Care and Insurance
Housing
Law Enforcement
Legislation and Advocacy
Media and the Entertainment Industry
Military and Veterans Affairs

Nominees must meet at least one of the following set of criteria:

• An individual or organization that has created a unique and innovative initiative to successfully combat stigma
• An individual or organization that has, through their efforts, specifically advocated for and impacted an individual and/or family living with mental illness
• An individual or organization - in reference to the aforementioned categories - that has taken action to enact change within their own field of endeavor and amongst their peers
• An individual or organization that you feel has been steadfastly committed to the issue of mental health stigma, going above and beyond the call to promote respect and support for those living with mental illness

The premier of the Ambassador Awards will take place on May 22, 2008, from 11am-2pm at the Marriott Lafayette Yard in Trenton, NJ. If you think you know an individual or organization that has been stellar in their efforts to combat mental health stigma, please let us know by filling out our nomination form and mailing it to:

The NJ Governor's Council on Mental Health Stigma
Ambassador Award Nominee Submission
State of New Jersey Department of Human Services
Division of Mental Health Services
Capital Center
PO Box 727
Trenton, NJ 08625-0727

Nominee submissions will be accepted through April 25, 2008.