Terri Belske was one of the first mental health consumers in New Jersey ever to sit on high-level state and county public policy committees. The Boonton resident, who died in 2016 at age 54, was a staunch defender and supporter of people who did not have a voice to advocate for themselves in the public arena.

The annual Terri Belske Mental Health Advocate of the Year, created in 2016 in her honor, will be awarded annually at the “Morris County Public Forum:  Many Faces of Recovery.”

Nominees for this prestigious award are now being sought for the 2019 award.

As a Terri Belske Mental Health Advocate, the awardee is a role model in New Jersey and represents the Morris County community in advocating for the rights of all people with mental illness.

The award recognizes a person with lived experience of mental illness that may include substance use and has demonstrated leadership as an advocate for adequate community resources to support individuals in their journey to recovery, shown courage in representing the interests of individuals who have experienced mental illness and addictions, demonstrated kindness and compassion for others in need and acted as the voice for those who are not in a position to speak out for themselves.

John Robbins, manager of the nonprofit Morris Community Wellness Center, was named Morris County’s Terri Belske Consumer Advocate of the Year in 2018.

To nominate someone, please submit a maximum 500-word summary about the candidate and the reasons why she or he merits the award. Send it to Morris County Mental Health Administrator Laurie Becker at lbecker@co.morris.nj.us by Fri. May 3. 

The 2019 Forum planning committee will review the nominations.

The awardee will be announced at the 2019 Public Forum, Many Faces of Recovery event from 5:30 -8 p.m., June 18, at the Haggerty Center at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morris Township.  For more information, call 973-285-6852.