Page 28 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2024

story by Lynn Lofton photos courtesy of Mental Health Association of South Mississippi
Since 2008, Don’t Worry Be Happy has celebrated community leaders as a fundraiser for the Mental Health Association of South Mississippi. This year’s event takes place July 26 at the Biloxi Civic Center from 7 to 10 p.m. with a theme of A Night at the Cinema.
“Join us to celebrate the honorees in their support of mental health and wellness,” the association’s Executive Director Kay Daneault said. “We usually raise about $70,000 to help fund the programs we provide.”
The 2024 honorees (pictured far right, top to bottom) are Vivian Champaigne, Greg Daneault, Holly Gibbs, Bryan and Courtney Jacobs, Gregg and Irene Magee, Todd and Melanie Reilly, John and Meggan Stolarski, and Joel and Elizabeth Verdon.
The Annette O’Keefe Humanitarian Award recipient is Mark Everson of Gautier. He is a philanthropist, successful businessman, and family man. Everson was the nation’s 46th Commissioner of Internal Revenue Service from 2003 to 2007. Prior to joining the IRS, he held Bush administration posts as Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget and Controller of the Office of Federal Financial Management. He also served in the Reagan administration, holding several positions at the United States Information Agency and the Department of Justice where his assignments included Deputy Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
“Mark contributes to many meaningful community initiatives including the Pascagoula Gautier School District, Pathways2Possibilities:P2P and the P3 Program,” Daneault said.
Daneault explained a new program that the association has. “We have created a Forensic Peer Support Specialist professional designation for the state in
partnership with the Mississippi Department of Mental Health,” she said. “This training is for people with lived experience of mental illness and the criminal justice system. Several incarcerated citizens have been through the training with the intention of helping others. The overall goal is
to reduce recidivism in state jails and prisons and assist people in their transition back into the community.”
Mental Health Association of South Mississippi www.msmentalhealth.org
228.864.6274 • info@msmentalhealth.org
Mark Everson
PEOPLE
28 | July 2024 www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living