FI Honored on Mental Health Awareness Affecting Communities of Color

The Full Circle Life Enrichment Center, a not for profit New York-based center providing counseling support to families and children in need, celebrated its 10^th Anniversary last week at  NYC’s Chelsea Piers Lighthouse with a Gala entitled, “Sax, Strings, Sonnets and Songs.” The Center’s mission is to eliminate barriers such as stigma, shame and fear associated with mental illness or seeking mental health treatment.

Honorees who received the Center’s “Inspire Award” “in recognition of their powerful decisions to use extraordinary talents, gifts and abilities as unwavering sources of inspiration and hope to hurting children and families worldwide were NY Knick Allan Houston (below) and (left to right):  Kenneth Braswell, Executive Director of Father’s Incorporated; Terrie M. Williams, Inspirational Author, Mental Health Advocate, and Founder/President-The Stay Strong Foundation; Dr. Gerald Landsberg, Professor/Director-Institute Against Violence at the NYU Silver School of Social Work; Darcel Dillard-Suite, MS, Co-founder and COO of the Center; Derek H. Suite, MD, MS, Co-founder and CEO of the Center; Waleska Williams, accepting the award on behalf of her husband, NY Yankees’ Bernie Williams; Linda McGee, an Educator for the Archdiocese of NY; Layon Gray, author of the acclaimed award winning Off-Broadway play, “Angels Over Tuskegee.”  Terrie M. Williams accepted the award on behalf of Ntozake Shange, author of “For Colored Girls….”  Gospel Artist BeBe Winans and Brandon Marshall of the Miami Dolphins also received the award.

NY Knick Allan Houston (Wearing TIES NEVER BROKEN pin) thanks Full Circle Life Enrichment Center co-founders Darcel Dillard-Suite, MS and Derek H. Suite, MD, MS after receiving the organization’s “Inspire Award.”

PHOTO CREDIT:  GERALD PEART