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Photo Exhibit Will Raise Mental
Health Awareness & Funds
(September
17, 2007)-An exhibit
opening next week at the UNE Art
Gallery in Portland will feature the courageous
stories and candid portraits of local residents who are
living with mental health concerns. Faces of
the Mind: Portraits of Mental Illness
runs September 26 through
November 25, 2007, with an opening fundraising gala
slated for the evening of September 25.
Faces of the Mind is the brainchild of Portland resident and
photographer Jerry Robinov. It is his latest in a series
of photo essays that focus on local people who are
living with life-threatening illnesses. Among his
previous projects was Portraits of Courage--Voices
of Hope,
which featured the photos
and stories of local breast cancer survivors.
Like his past health-focused
photography exhibits, Robinov's Faces of the
Mind
was
designed to raise awareness of the prevalence of mental
illness. In the U.S, one in four people
will experience a mental
health concern at some point in
their lives. According to the World
Health Organization, the illness will be the number
one cause of disability worldwide by 2010.
"So many people are affected by
this issue, whether in their family or circle of friends
and
associates," Robinov says. "This
show honors those who have worked
hard to maintain their mental health,
and it offers hope to others in our
community who are touched by the illness."
In addition to raising mental
health awareness, the Faces of the Mind opening night gala aims to raise funds for
Spring Harbor Hospital of Westbrook, the state's largest
provider of nonprofit mental health treatment,
physician-training, and research programs. WGME-TV's Kim Block will
host the event and the Tony Boffa
Trio
will
provide entertainment. Ticket information is available from the
Spring Harbor Hospital Development Office at 207-761-2239.
"We are grateful to Jerry for
his recognition of this important health issue and to
all those who agreed to share their stories with him,"
notes Spring Harbor Hospital CEO Dennis King. "Spring
Harbor is
indebted to Jerry not
only for his fundraising support, but
also for his respectful artistic vision
and his compassion for others. We are pleased
to count him among Spring Harbor's friends."
With the exception of the
opening night gala fundraiser, the Faces of the Mind
exhibit is free to the public. For gallery hours, please
visit www.une.edu/artgallery
or call 207-602-2626.
Spring Harbor Hospital is
Maine's largest provider of nonprofit mental health
treatment programs and home to The Glickman Family Center
for Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, the region's center of excellence for youth
mental health treatment, training, and research. To
learn more, visit www.springharbor.org.
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