2026 Champions Awards: Nominations Open!

Call for Nominations

20th Annual Champions for Mental Health Awards

Riverbend Community Mental Health

Champions winners onstage with Riverbend staff at the 2025 awards ceremony

This year, Riverbend is celebrating 20 years of honoring community changemakers through its Champions for Mental Health Awards.

For Riverbend, a Champion for Mental Health is an individual who:
• Advocates for greater access to mental health services;
• Contributes extraordinary time, talent or treasure to improving the lives of people with mental illness; and/or
• Publicly gives voice to those with mental illness, helping eliminate the stigma and stereotypes that surround the disease.

Past champions have expanded training opportunities, implemented programs, provided essential clinical services, worked with legislative or community partners to change policy, and shared stories that grew recognition of the importance of mental health.

Honor those making a difference in the mental health of our local communities – alleviating hardships, serving as an ally, educating or raising awareness, or helping those with addictions or mental illnesses. Winners are honored each fall at Riverbend’s Champions for Mental Health awards ceremony, where members of the public, business leaders, public officials and other interested community members come together in an evening of celebration. This year’s event will be held Tuesday, October 6 at the Bank of NH Stage in Concord. 

Previous winners include:

• John Barthelmes, former Colonel, New Hampshire State Police
• The Hon. John Broderick, Jr., former Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court
• John and David Constant, Constantly Pizza (Concord)
• Dr. Dominic Geffken, Concord Hospital Family Health Center
• Gretchen Grappone, LICSW, training consultant and clinician
• Lucy C. Hodder, Professor of Law
• Congresswoman Ann McLane Kuster
• Brielle Paquette, advocate for children’s mental health
• Susan Paschell, The Dupont Group
• Robert L. Quinn, Commissioner of Safety

And many, many more!

Make your nomination today.
The deadline for nominations is Friday, June 12, 2026. 
(NOTE: Current Riverbend Employees and Board members are NOT ELIGIBLE for the award. Champions must live or have spent significant time working on the issue of mental health in Merrimack County or in Riverbend’s 30-community catchment area).

Questions? Contact: [email protected]