Three women with ties to CSS were among those honored recently at NAMI Summit County’s annual luncheon.

Leslie Powlette Stoyer, CSS’s chief operating officer, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for her demonstrated commitment to NAMI over a long period of time and for making “significant contributions to helping NAMI meet its goals and mission.” Leslie retired as executive director of NAMI in December and had previously been co-executive director for more than 10 years. According to NAMI Associate Executive Director Sara Coberly, Leslie helped raise more than $1 million in grants and $1.3 million through the annual NAMIWalks. “Leslie has reached thousands of individuals with her expertise, and her vision and dedication have left a lasting impact on the organization and the families and individuals dealing with mental health conditions in Summit County,” she said.

Christa Smith, who has been on the CSS Board of Directors since 2021 and is the current chair of the CSS Oversight Committee, was honored with NAMI’s Volunteer of the Year Award. The award is presented to someone who “dedicates their time and talents to support our NAMI Summit County community.” Jamie Messenger, executive director of NAMI Summit County and CSS Board member, said that Christa has “given back in numerous ways,” including speaking at Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) trainings and facilitating family support groups. She is a state trainer for other programs also.

CSS Community Rehabilitation Specialist Riajo (Jo) Loftin was presented with the Fred Frese Memorial Scholarship, which was established to honor and memorialize renowned psychologist and mental health advocate Dr. Frederick J. Frese III, who also lived with schizophrenia. The scholarship provides assistance to graduate-level students seeking a degree in mental health treatment. Jo received $4,000 to put toward her education. She currently is pursuing a Master of Social Work at the University of Akron and has a 4.0 GPA.

Congratulations to Leslie, Christa and Jo!