Artreach, Inc. Executive Director Rebecca Atkins has been selected to receive two distinct awards for her work raising awareness of mental health issues and fighting the stigma of mental illness.

Keep the Promise awarded Atkins with the Mental Health in the Media Award; and the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) recognized Atkins with its Katharine Hepburn Award for Excellence for using Media as a Platform for Social Change.

Artreach, Inc., a non-profit organization located in Norwich, is unique in its mission that focuses on both the arts and mental health sectors.

On October 30, Atkins was presented with the Mental Health in the Media award at Keep the Promise’s 20th anniversary luncheon. The event, attended by nearly 200 mental health workers and advocates from throughout Connecticut, also featured a performance by Artreach’s Second Step Players of the popular sketch “Dysfunction Junction.”

On Nov. 21, CHRO presented its award at its 2019 Civil Rights Leaders and Legends Awards Dinner.

“These awards mean a lot to Artreach, where we have been busting the stigma of mental illness since 1985. Becca is extremely deserving, and we are thrilled her work is being recognized across Connecticut,” said Cate Steel, President of the Board of Directors of Artreach.

Artreach's signature program, the Second Step Players sketch comedy troupe, has recently begun touring once again. The Second Step Players is joined by the Music Heals coffeehouse, Comic Alchemy stand-up comedy, visual arts workshops and gallery shows, and various recreation programs to create a well-rounded program for wellness, healing and raising awareness about mental illness throughout the community.