PAST AWARDEES

The FTS Community  Award may recognize an individual, organization, business, or community group that demonstrates:

1. Commitment to Fighting Stigma Has taken meaningful action to challenge stigma, shame, stereotypes, or discrimination surrounding substance use, addiction, recovery, mental illness, or seeking help.
2. Respect, Compassion, and Inclusion Treats people affected by substance use or mental health challenges with dignity, empathy, acceptance, and respect, while helping create welcoming and inclusive environments. This directly reflects FTSCO’s vision of a community that recognizes every individual as worthy of respect and dignity.
3. Meaningful Community Impact Has made a recognizable positive difference in Colorado through advocacy, education, storytelling, healthcare, the arts, volunteerism, philanthropy, peer support, harm reduction, or other forms of community service.
4. Creation of Safe Pathways to Help and Connection Helps create spaces, attitudes, programs, or opportunities that make people feel safer asking for help, connecting with resources, sharing their experiences, or pursuing the recovery and wellness path that is right for them.
5. Collaboration and Sustained Commitment Demonstrates an ongoing willingness to bring people together, build partnerships, elevate community voices, and support long-term efforts that advance awareness, connection, healing, and positive change.

A strong nominee does not need to be a behavioral-health professional or meet every criterion equally. The award should recognize someone whose actions clearly embody the compassionate, community-centered spirit of Fight the Stigma Colorado.