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Award Nominee - 2023
Award Nominee Introduction:
We are soliciting nominations for the NW Regional CIT Conference 2022 honorees.
We want to know how this person / agency / organization has dedicated time in their crisis intervention program.
OK
1.
Who are you nominating?
Nominee Name:
Organization Name:
Nominee Title:
Nominee Email:
Nominee Organization State:
2.
What category?
CIT Law Enforcement Officer of the Year
CIT Corrections Officer of the Year
CIT Non-Sworn Staff of the Year
CIT Mental Health Professional of the Year
CIT Coordinator of the Year
CIT Community Resource of the Year
CIT Fire/EMS Agency of the Year
Outstanding CIT Team
Gary Sjolander Oregon CIT Award of Excellence
Thoughtful, perceptive, good at reading people, compassionate, willing to sacrifice, professional, loving and fair. That is how Gary is described by the people whose lives he touched. He is remembered for “living by example” and for “doing anything for anybody.” He is said to have “humanized the face of mental illness.”
As Gary was fond of telling you, he was the first person on the west coast to have ever gone from being a patient in a sheltered workshop in a psychiatric hospital to becoming an employee at that same hospital. Gary’s career at Oregon State Hospital spanned 27 years as a Peer Recovery Specialist. However, his influence went well beyond his work there.
In 1995, Gary became a staple of the Portland Police Bureau Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program’s training component where he shared his story about living with mental illness and his experiences with law enforcement. His approach was gentle and welcoming and his sense of humor was undeniable. What impressed those criminal justice professionals attending the training the most was his willingness to talk frankly about the challenges he faced daily as a person living with schizophrenia. He delivered his message in a way that fostered empathy and compassion within the officers attending the training for those living with mental illness.
For more than 22 years, until his passing in 2017, Gary continued to tell his story to criminal justice audiences in CIT training and agency in-service training events, reaching thousands of police and corrections officers in Oregon. The enduring message of his contribution to the criminal justice community is that recovery is possible.
Gary’s legacy is one of service, compassion, and advocacy for those living with mental illness and first responders charged with helping them in their time of need.
The Gary Sjolander Oregon CIT Award of Excellence is given annually to a Crisis Intervention Team program, criminal justice professional, behavioral health professional or mental health advocate that has made a significant contribution to the advancement of Crisis Intervention Programs in Oregon through education and advocacy.
3.
Describe in 750 words or less what this person/agency/organization has responded to an incident or overall work in 2022 to
earn this nomination.
What makes the work remarkable? What are the accomplishments? Is this nomination supported by the community (if so, whom)?
Current Progress,
0 of 3 answered
