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Anytime you thank people for the work they have done, you run the risk of forgetting someone. In the case of thanking New York City and State's mental health consumer leaders, that risk is huge because, in spite of our location in the Big Apple, we often have a worm's view of the work that others perform. Therefore, we apologize to the many people we ignored. You know who you are, or your friends do, and we hope to hear from you. In fact, a tongue-lashing would suit our sense of guilt well. Nevertheless, we hope that between the folks mentioned in the paper and those we are honoring at our 8th anniversary party, we have made a good start at recognizing the many consumer leaders in this state.

City Voices Awardees:

Janssen Pharmaceutica

Janssen Pharmaceutica has been our most generous contributor through the last six years of publication, for which we are extremely grateful. Janssen, known for the antipsychotic Risperdal, is a company driven by a dedication to product innovation, customer focus and employee/organizational excellence.

Jessica Lynch

Miss New York City and New York State, Ms. Lynch suffered from anorexia and depression. She graduated top of her school class in Tennessee and earned a theater degree at the University of Virginia in three years before heading to New York. As Miss New York, Ms. Lynch, 24 said her mission is to show that depression is a flaw in chemistry, not character.

Robert and Jay Neugeboren

After many years of living in state psychiatric hospitals, Robert Neugeboren is thriving in a community residence. Robert is a man of true grit and emotional depth. His many talents, including poetry, comedy, and acting, helped him over the rough spots in his life. Robert collaborated with his brother Jay and starred in the movie Imagining Robert.

Jay Neugeboren is the author of 13 books, including two recent ones about mental illness: Imagining Robert: My Brother, Madness, and Survival, a New York Times Notable Book of 1997, and Transforming Madness: New Lives for People Living with Mental Illness. He is the recipient of a "Ken" Book Award from NAMI-NYC Metro in 2000.

Patricia Wahrburg Cliff, Esq.

Patricia Cliff has been an active member of NAMI for many years and currently serves as 2nd Vice President on the NAMI national board. She is the founder of NAMI Metro's ----Kenneth Johnson Library and creator of the 'Ken' Book Awards. Patricia serves on the Mental Health Law Committee of the Association for the Bar of the City of New York, and is on the editorial board of NY City Voices.

Erica Goode

Erica Goode joined The New York Times as a behavior reporter in the science section, September 1998. Ms. Goode has had cover stories and other features in U.S. News and World Report as well as freelance pieces in Vogue, Mirabella and other publications. She is the recipient of numerous awards for pieces on mental health.

Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez

Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez was the first Puerto Rican woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. She combines sensibility and compassion as she works to encourage economic development, protect community health and the environment, combat crime and worker abuses, and secure access to affordable housing, quality education and health care for all New York City families.

Council Member Margarita Lopez

Council Member Lopez is the first openly lesbian Puerto Rican ever elected to office. Council Member Lopez was elected to the City Council in November of 1997 and re-elected in November 2001. She is Chairperson of the Mental Health, Mental Retardation, Alcoholism, Drug Abuse and Disabilities Committee and a member of the Contracts, Environmental Protection, Finance, and Higher Education Committees.

Heather Barr, Esq.

Heather Barr is the founding director of the Nathaniel Project, the nation's first alternative-to-incarceration program for felony offenders with serious mental illness, at the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES). The work she and her colleagues at the Urban Justice Center have done on Brad H. v. City of New York has been recognized with numerous awards.

Janice Jones

The National Republican Congressional Committee has designated Janice one of the 2003 Businessmen of the Year for her work as Director of Bridger Programs for the Baltic Street Mental Health Board. She has done yearly training on hope and recovery for the Westchester/Rockland Advocacy Coalition. She created "Woman with Positive Voices," a workshop about self-help, advocacy and empowerment from the viewpoint of women.

Jody Silver

Jody Silver is a leading New York City-based mental health advocate who currently serves as the Director of Advocacy and Public Policy for Community Access, Inc. Jody is a member of a number of prominent statewide organizations, including NYAPRS.

Stephen M. Goldfinger, MD

Dr. Goldfinger trained at Harvard College and Yale Medical School. He is Chairman of Psychiatry at the State University of New York, Health Science Center, Brooklyn and oversees the clinical services at Kings County Hospital, the University Hospital and the department's outpatient clinics. Dr. Goldfinger is a long standing member of the New York City Voices editorial board.