Kevin Hawkins – Mary Ciancio Memorial Distinguished Service Award Recipient

 Kevin was nominated by Officer Matt Barnes with the Thornton Police Department. For the last 16 years, Kevin has sacrificed one of his only 2 days off per week from his full-time job at King Soopers to volunteer with the Thornton Police Department Community Relations/Crime Prevention Unit.  He has also volunteered for the Detective Division, Patrol Division, and Victim Advocates.  In September 2012, Kevin will begin his 17^th year as a volunteer with the department.  In addition to volunteering 6 to 8 hours per week and working full time, Kevin also attends College for Life at North Metro Community Services.  He has volunteered over 6,300 hours to the Thornton Police Department.  Kevin always wanted to be a police officer.  His desire and enthusiasm for police work led him to pursue volunteer opportunities at various police departments.  Thornton PD’s Community Relations Unit offered Kevin the opportunity to volunteer with school presentations, crime prevention seminars, community events, media press conferences and the Christmas Crusade for Children.  According to the Thornton Police Officers, Kevin’s enthusiasm, personality and work ethic have been a welcome addition to their organization.  His volunteer work has broken down barriers and demonstrates that everyone can be a contributing and valuable member of their community…even if they live with some sort of physical or cognitive challenge.  Kevin has impacted the lives of not only the police officers that have grown to love him, but the community that he has touched through his volunteerism.

The Mary Ciancio Memorial Distinguished Service Award honors the memory of the late Mary Ciancio, Community Reach Center Emeritus Board Member and extraordinary community volunteer.  Mary’s efforts benefitted thousands of Adams County residents living with mental and physical challenges.  This prestigious award has been presented annually to the outstanding volunteer in Adams County by the Community Reach Center Foundation Board since 1980.

Carolyn Corbett – Marjory Ball Mental Health Advocacy Award Recipient

Carolyn is the founder of K9 C.A.R.E.S., a groundbreaking program in which highly trained advocate dogs work side-by-side with victim advocates who support and assist victims of traumatic events or crimes.  Following her work as a volunteer Victims Advocate with the survivors and families of the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, for which she received the "Columbine Police Service Ribbon" from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, Carolyn began working to develop the K9 C.A.R.E.S. Program.   Carolyn knew first-hand how canines could help victims during and after traumatic events, because she herself is a survivor of domestic violence.  In 2007 K9 C.A.R.E.S was officially approved by the City of Westminster and Westminster Police Department for integration into the Westminster Victims Services Unit, making it one of the first of its kind in the U.S.    For the last several years, K9 C.A.R.E.S. has worked closely with various departments of the 17^th Judicial District, where volunteers and their therapy canines assist victims in preparation for court appearances.  They also work with staff in the District Attorney’s office monthly to help them process their exposure to traumatic cases and minimize the effects of vicarious trauma.  Recently, Carolyn brought the benefits of her K9 C.A.R.E.S program to Community Reach Centers’ Day Treatment Program, where once a month, the young Day Treatment clients have the opportunity to sit and read books with a therapy dog.  Aside from helping to maintain the children’s literacy skills during their stay with the Day Treatment Program, their involvement with the therapy dogs also helps re-build trust and empathy among a population of children who live with serious mental illness; some of whom also live with the lingering physical and emotional effects of child abuse.

The Marjory Ball Mental Health Advocacy Award was created in 2007 to commemorate Emeritus Board Member Marjory Ball’s role as a major advocate for individuals living with mental health challenges.  This award recognizes outstanding individuals in our community who follow Marge’s excellent example of advocating on behalf of challenged individuals in need of help.

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Community Reach Center, a 501[c][3] non-profit organization, is a  premier mental health provider, and the designated mental health provider for individuals eligible for Medicaid in Adams County. Since 1957, Community Reach Center has provided life-changing services to children, adolescents, adults and seniors.  Each year the Center serves more than 13,000 unduplicated clients at outpatient offices located in Brighton, Commerce City, Northglenn, Thornton and Westminster, as well as in homes, schools and emergency rooms.  The Center is committed to providing integrated care that marries mental healthcare with primary healthcare, in order to support the overall health and recovery of its clients.  For more information, visit www.communityreachcenter.org.

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