Tricia & Kurt Baker
Reducing the stigma of mental health challenges among our youth
After their son Kenny lost his lifelong battle with severe depression and anxiety at 19, the Bakers established Attitudes in Reverse (AIR) to support children, teens and young adults struggling with mental health disorders. AIR’s educational programs aim to eliminate the stigma around mental health, and are wrapped in messages of understanding, empathy and kindness towards all. AIR’s In Their Shoes® traveling exhibit is a poignant visual representation of why it is so important to let young people know they are not alone and educate those who do not understand how difficult it is to live with a mental health disorder. Certified AIR (therapy) dogs accompany program presenters and volunteers attend community events to raise awareness of the organization and its mission.
Brenda Antinore
Ministering to women trapped in addiction and prostitution
Brenda’s firsthand experience with drug addiction fueled her mission to create a ministry for women in Camden who turn to prostitution to support their addictions. After she and her husband rebuilt their lives, Brenda founded Seeds of Hope and She Has a Name (SHAN), which provides a clean, safe place for women trapped by addiction and living on the streets. The SHAN center offers meals, showers, clothing and hygiene products and provides a place where these women can share their burdens and receive encouragement and support 24/7. Brenda works with recovery programs to help women turn their lives around when they decide to leave street life and helps locate long-term Christian discipleship homes where they can begin the healing process.
Don Quigley
A quest to save young lives and reduce the stigma of suicide
After experiencing the devastating loss of his teenage son to suicide, Don co-founded SPTS in 2005. The organization’s mission is to increase awareness and reduce suicides by empowering teens, parents and educators with the emotional guidance and skills needed to help those at risk. SPTS was the driving force behind the passing of a requirement in NJ that all educators must complete two hours of instruction in suicide prevention as part of their professional development. SPTS presents to educators, parents, and students and provides online teacher training, reaching more than 236,000 individuals each year. Don passed away in October 2025.
Lynn Regan
Helping create long-term recovery from addiction
Lynn founded CFC Loud N Clear Foundation, now HealingUs Communities, after watching her son’s struggle with addiction. Its programs support people to achieve long-term recovery after rehabilitation. Lynn and her son created a relapse prevention model that fills the gap after clinical treatment and has helped thousands of young people strengthen their recovery and achieve long-term sober living through peer-based support and programs, sober-living housing, and collaboration with police departments to assist during crises.
Lisa Gladwell
Bringing hope to those afflicted by addiction
Lisa’s personal experiences with addiction led her to dramatically change the landscape for those in recovery After her own treatment, Lisa launched NJ Recovery Advocates, a statewide grassroots recovery organization, got her law degree to provide pro-bono legal assistance, and brought 12-step meetings to therapeutic halfway houses and the Bergen County Jail’s drug rehabilitation program. She is president of the Father Jim McKenna Memorial Fund, which supports individuals and organizations associated with recovery from addiction. In 2019, she became the Owner/ Operator of God Winks, a NJ DCA licensed Class F Cooperative Sober Living managed home in Bergen County, providing a safe, supportive environment for women to nurture their recovery and cultivate their potential.
Marlene Ceragno
Helping low-income seniors get the dignity and products they need
After years as a nursery school teacher, Marlene found her new calling with a much older population. While pursuing a master’s in gerontology she also began managing her aunt’s finances and discovered the high price of adult incontinence products. She learned that many older adults cannot afford these products, which greatly inhibits their ability to go out in public and remain active. Marlene established the first Adult Care Brief Bank to ease the financial burden of paying for adult incontinence products and reduce the isolation many seniors experience because they lack the resources to buy them. The organization collects and distributes adult briefs (through several NJ nonprofits) to low-income seniors throughout New Jesey and beyond, and helps create awareness and reduce the stigma of using adult absorbent products.
More Honorees Making an Impact on Health & Wellness
1998
After losing her four-year-old daughter to a brain tumor, Victoria and her husband Paul created the Colleen Giblin Foundation in 1985. They raised millions of dollars to help find a cure for pediatric neurological diseases. Foundation proceeds now support research efforts at The Colleen Giblin Foundation Laboratory at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. Victoria died in 2020.
1998
The former wife of the Nobel Prize mathematical genius, John Forbes Nash, Alicia is responsible for saving the lives of her son and husband, who were both diagnosed with schizophrenia. She was known to many as a mental health care advocate. She and John died in an auto accident in 2015.
2002
Anna, a physician, founded Our Lady of Providence Free Medical Clinic in Neptune to serve the working poor without medical insurance. The clinic continues to serve the community.
1998
Roxanne’s battle with lupus as a teen motivated her to create a network to bring together those who face health crises to discuss common problems, recent issues, and new developments. That became Friends’ Health Connection, an internationally recognized organization that connects people with similar illnesses or conditions.
2010
At just 15 years old, these cousins co-founded Breast Intentions after learning that three family members had been diagnosed with the disease. Breast Intentions provides emotional and financial support, crisis intervention, and other resources to patients and their families while they were battling breast cancer.
2004
While in college, Shimmy initiated a 300-mile cycling event to help children living with HIV/AIDS in Newark. After graduating, Shimmy established Angelwish.org, a “digital philanthropy” nonprofit to help busy people grant wishes to children with chronic illnesses
2003
Allen started the Bellevue/New York University Program for Survivors of Torture after serving as a medical volunteer in a refugee camp along the Thai-Cambodian border, where he witnessed human rights abuses. Since its inception, the Program has provided services to help rebuild the lives of nearly 6,500 men, women, and children from more than 112 countries.
2017
Valentine House’s mission is to open and implement sober living group homes for those recovering from substance use disorder. The residences provide a safe environment and support at four sober living homes in northern NJ. Charles passed away in February 2025.
2015
After battling breast cancer, Doria established Curémonos, which focuses on helping underserved and uninsured Latinas affected by the disease. It provides education, advocacy, patient navigation services and interpretation services.
2021
Financial support for families affected by ALS
After watching her father courageously fight ALS until he lost his battle, Donna established HARK ALS in 2010 in his memory. She is dedicated to helping alleviate the financial burden endured by families affected by ALS. Families from throughout NJ benefit from HARK ALS grants to cover equipment, travel, household and home modification expenses; donors who participate in Adopt a Child of an ALS Family for the Holidays; and family adventures of their choosing through a special program.
