Highlights from the 2005 Courage to Come Back Awards

Courage to Come Back Awards --  a cause for celebration

Nearly 1000 people attended the 13th annual Courage to Come Back Awards on Wednesday May 25th to pay tribute to seven extraordinary people who have overcome addiction and mental illness and now use their experiences to help others.   Courage to Come Back is the signature annual event of the CAMH Foundation, and is presented by RBC Capital Markets.

Among those honored was Mary Walsh, one of Canada's most recognized television and film personalities. Mary battled years of alcohol addiction as a way to cope with childhood feelings of abandonment and emerged as one of Canada's true success stories.  David Goldbloom, CAMH's Senior Medial Advisor, Education and Public Affairs, hosted the event, which raised close to $400,000.   Those in attendance were deeply moved by the compelling stories of all seven recipients, and Mary Walsh captivated the audience with her own brand of humor. 

Speech inspires $1 million pledge

An unexpected highlight came from a surprise announcement by Buzz Hargrove, National President of the Canadian Auto Workers, longstanding Patrons of Courage. Hargrove pledged to raise $1 million to fight the stigma of addiction and mental health and challenged other unions and business leaders to do the same.

Hargrove said that his announcement was inspired by the speech given by Dr. Paul Garfinkel, President and CEO of CAMH, in which he recounted his recent experience of being treated for a malignant cancer and speculated about how different the outcome might have been had he had a mental illness or addiction.  People who face these challenges often lose their jobs and their homes, and they are treated differently by friends and family. Further, they must wait long periods for treatment.  "We all agree it's completely unreasonable for anyone to wait a year for a hip replacement, but the average wait times for mental health and addiction services aren't measured in years - it's forever," he said. "Most people who need care never receive it."

The Courage to Come Back Awards would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsor and patrons: RBC Capital Markets, BMO Financial Group, CAW, Ernst & Young, Manulife Financial, Merrill Lynch, Ontario Power Generation, Power Workers' Union, WarrenSheppell, Wyeth Canada, Westjet, Liquid, Rogers Media and The Toronto Sun.

To find out more about the Courage to Come Back Awards, please contact Bonnie_Perry@camh.net, 416 535-8501, ext. 4220. 

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