Pastor Rick and Kay Warren to Host SAMHSA’s Voice Awards in Los Angeles

Pastor Rick and Kay Warren will host the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) 2018 Voice Awards—a program that recognizes the efforts of the entertainment industry and individuals in the behavioral health community who work to increase awareness and understanding of mental illnesses, substance use disorders, or both. The event will be held on August 8 at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles.

The Warrens are founders of the Saddleback Church in Southern California and authors of several books, including the best-selling “The Purpose Driven Life” and “The Purpose Driven Church.” Following the loss of their son, Matthew, to suicide, the Warrens have become outspoken advocates for suicide prevention and improved treatment for people living with mental illness. They have established a mental health ministry in their church to help those experiencing mental illness and to support their families. They use their platform as leaders of one of the largest churches in America, with more than 30,000 congregants, to share a message of hope, support, and recovery.

In addition to honoring consumer, peer, and family leaders who have embraced and promoted the journey of recovery from mental illnesses, substance use disorders, or both, the Voice Awards also will recognize writers and producers who share responsible and respectful portrayals of people experiencing mental and/or substance use disorders and include messages of hope and recovery in their productions. This year’s finalists include the feature film Loving Vincent; documentaries Heaven in a Traffic Jam on the 405 and Heroin(e); and television shows “One Day at a Time” (Netflix), “This Is Us” (NBC), and “Hawaii Five-O” (CBS).

WHAT:           2018 Voice Awards

WHEN:           Wednesday, August 8, 2018

                      Arrivals and pre-show—6 p.m. PDT/9 p.m. EDT

                      Awards program—7:30 p.m. PDT/10:30 p.m. EDT

WHERE:         Royce Hall at UCLA, 340 Royce Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095

VISUAL:         Award winners, host, and presenters photo opportunities

ATTEND:        To attend in person or view the live webcast, please register here: https://www.regonline.com/registration/Checkin.aspx?EventID=2269494

To attend the event or request an interview, contact Sangeetha Sarma at 301–395–5227 or ssarma@vancomm.com. To join the Voice Awards conversation, like SAMHSA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/samhsa and follow @samhsagov and #VoiceAwards on Twitter.

Reporters with questions should send inquiries to media@samhsa.hhs.gov.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA’s mission is to lead public health and service delivery efforts that promote mental health, prevent substance misuse, and provide treatments and supports to foster recovery while ensuring equitable access and better outcomes.

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