The award was created in 2002 by the Day of Self Discovery Planning Committee. The “EveryDay People” Award was created to acknowledge the significant contributions that Joyce King made promoting advocacy and recovery for individuals with a mental health diagnosis and/or alcohol/substance use diagnosis.
Joyce King was a pioneer and leader in the Self-Help Consumer/Survivor movement. She believed strongly that recipients of mental health/substance use services should be involved in all aspects of the system and that their voices must be heard! Joyce King’s achievements were many, including empowering others to self-advocate, dispelling myths and stereotypes about individuals with mental illness, promoting recovery and educating providers about mental health /illness.
One of Joyce King’s most powerful testimonies was, “I have a condition, but I am not the condition. And I refuse to let anyone equate my illness with my intelligence.”
For more information on mental illness, visit the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania website.
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