Transitions, Inc. is honoring members of the Greater Cincinnati Community who have been nominated by the community to receive special recognition for their work in providing hope to those individuals, families and the community affected by heroin use.
Award Winners will be honored at an Awards Gala and WEBN Fireworks Viewing Party on Sunday, September 3, at the Metropolitan Club in Covington.
A Call for Nominations began on July 1 and ran through July 21, seeking Nominations in the following five award categories and a Nine Panel Selection Committee chose the following Winners:
Elected Official – Individuals working to solve issues related to the heroin epidemic such as: Legislators who drafted or worked to pass and enact heroin legislation and funding; Judges, Jailers, Sheriffs, or any other elected official who is looking for creative ways to help people who use/used heroin and their families.
WINNER – Judge Executive Kris Knochelmann, Kenton County Fiscal Court (Kentucky)
Professional – Doctors, Nurses, Pharmacists, Health Department Officials, Social Workers, Chemical Dependency Counselors, Police Officers, Attorneys, Educators, Journalists or any other professionals who are working on the front lines with people who use/used heroin and their families.
WINNER – James Liebetrau, R.Ph., CDCA
Volunteer – Those who are providing education, access to treatment, acting as advocates, volunteers, service providers and those who are in recovery creating help & hope for people who use/used heroin and their families searching for resources.
WINNER – Charlotte Wethington, Casey’s Law Advocate & Recovery Advocate
Nonprofit – Organizations (including churches) that provide funding, education, awareness, harm reduction, advocacy services and support in relation to providing solutions for the heroin epidemic.
WINNER – Northern Kentucky Health Department
Corporate / Business – Entities that: support individuals in recovery by providing internships, apprenticeships, and jobs – especially to those with felonies who find it extremely difficult to find a job; help to raise awareness about the heroin epidemic and community resources, including harm reduction; shine a light on projects that provide help & hope to people who use/used heroin and their families.
WINNER – Frisch’s Restaurants, Inc.
The Heroes Against Heroin Selection Committee received anonymous nominations in each category and assigned a point value to the top 5 nominations in each Award Category. The nomination receiving the highest score in each Award Category was declared the Winner.
The nine-member Selection Committee included the following participants:
Garren Colvin, President & CEO, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, 2016 Hero Against Heroin
Trey Grayson, former President & CEO, NKY Chamber of Commerce
Perilou Goddard, PH.D., Professor, Northern Kentucky University
Peter Bhatia, Executive Editor and Vice President, The Cincinnati Enquirer and Ohio Editor for the USA TODAY Network
Jean Mize, R.C. Durr Foundation
Mark Hansel, Managing Editor, NKyTribune
Amanda Peters, Heroin Impact Response Taskforce Coordinator, Northern Kentucky
Kelly Firesheets, PsyD, Senior Program Director, Interact for Health
David Holthaus, Managing Editor, Opinion and Engagement, WCPO
New in 2017: Ignite Hope – A Celebration of Lives in Recovery
Learn about three Inspiring stories of individuals living a life of recovery.
The 2017 Heroes Against Heroin Humanitarian Awards Gala and WEBN Fireworks Viewing Party to Benefit Transitions will be held on Sunday, September 3, at the Metropolitan Club, 50 E. Rivercenter Blvd., Suite 1900, Covington, KY 41011. The Awards Gala will begin at 5 p.m. The event features a gala dinner buffet, with unique food stations, Winners’ Video and Award presentations, live auction, silent auction, raffles, live music and concludes with a spectacular view of the WEBN Fireworks. Proceeds support Transitions’ recovery services and public health programs. For more information click here, or call Transitions’ Main Office at (859) 491-4435.
For 48 years, Transitions has served the Northern Kentucky community by providing men and women a holistic continuum of recovery services comprised of non-medical detoxification, long term residential treatment, intensive outpatient treatment, case managed sober housing and aftercare services. The mission of Transitions is to help individuals transition from the pain of addiction to the gratitude of recovery by providing long-term treatment and comprehensive support services.
