It was an early evening occasion of glitz, a little glamour, and a great deal of honor and recognition on Sept. 15 at the Third Annual Passion Meets The Road event.
Erica Upshaw-Givner, visionary owner, operator and lead clinician at Vision Towards Peace Counseling Service, said that for far too long, individuals in the business of serving others, through social, emotional, and mental support services were never recognized for the many hours they invested into the spirits of others—yet they remained true to their work.
She said that honoring individuals in these fields seemed like an action whose time had come. As a result, she began hosting this event in the East End at the Union Project, and it quickly outgrew that venue. This year, as well as last year, it was moved to the Herberman Pavilion at Shadyside Hospital. “I was really thrilled after the first event to find that we had such a turn out, this was evidence that we were on the right track,” Upshaw-Givner said.
With upwards of 180 attendees, the event was emceed by Tene Croom. Opening remarks were brought by Darcel Madkins, co-founder of African American Leadership Association who spoke about the insidious nature of depression and how without proper self care, it can creep up on any of us.
There was a poignant testimony of a transformed life from Carol Ramsey a program worker and mentor from Pennsylvania Organization for Women in Early Recovery.
She shared her journey of overcoming years of addiction, incarceration, a subsequent diagnosis of hepatitis C that ensued as a result of her heroin addiction, the loss of her husband after his own recovery to hepatitis C, and her triumphant clean and sober time of more than 25 years. The ultimate victory came in May of this year when she received a pardon for her past crimes by Gov. Tom Wolf.
The honorees of the night were as follows: Forerunner honorees—Christina Bryan, director, Marketing & Development the Delta Foundation; Dr. Kathi R. Elliott, executive director, Gwen’s Girls; Tamasia Johnson, founder and director, The Pearl Club; Kevin M. Jordan, CEO & chairman, Adaptive Behavioral Services; Christina Michaels, MSHSA, executive director NAMI; Judge Tom Swan, magisterial district judge, Allegheny County; Gary A. Van Horn Jr., president, Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh; and Doris Carson Williams, president & CEO, African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania.
The Roadrunner honorees—Josie Bryant, Social Service Minister, St. James Social Services; Shawntel Calloway, Therapist-Wesley Spectrum; Calvin Murphy, juvenile case manager, Vision Quest Day Evening Program; Christine Rotella, chaplain & minister, Abiding Ministries; Amber Sloan, CEO and founder, Making Alternative Decisions Effectively Impacting Teens; and James Turner, PATH coordinator, Allegheny County.
Entrepreneur honorees—Lee Davis, CEO & founder of Lee Davis & Associates, and Dr. Ginger Martin, clinical psychologist at Cognitive Dynamic Therapy Associates.
The keynote speaker for the evening was Marcia M. Sturdivant, president & CEO of NEED. She spoke on the powerful necessity of “Passion” and how important a factor it was for, not only the awardees, but all of us who are on a quest for making changes in our world. She said, “In the pursuit of excellence, thoughts and ideas never change anything; it is action spurred on by passion that does.”
In her closing remarks, Upshaw-Givner expressed her thanks to the sponsors and attendees for their support, and spoke of her own passion of working towards generational wellness one day at a time, while removing the barriers and stigma often associated with mental health treatment.
Upshaw-Givner has expanded her vision with the establishment of A Peace of Mind Inc., a full scale holistic health and wellness center opening in Wilkinsburg on Sept. 21. A portion of the proceeds from this year’s event and the funds from the silent auction will go towards the programming at A Peace of Mind Inc.
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