Engaging Richmond team member Chimere Miles has been nominated for the Mrs. Mary Thompson “Mrs. T” Community Engagement Award to be presented February 13, 2016 at the Inaugural Good Neighbor Awards hosted by Storefront. Ms. Miles will be among four Richmond residents recognized at the Awards for their work to realize the potential of the City of Richmond through design, education, engagement, and thought leadership.

Ms. Miles has served has a community researcher on the Engaging Richmond team since the community-academic partnership was formed in 2011 and has been instrumental in facilitating community discussions; analyzing data; presenting research findings; and disseminating information to bring evidence to policy makers and change agents. In addition to her work on numerous Engaging Richmond-led community engagement projects, she has worked tirelessly to address mental health, an area that was identified in 2012 through Engaging Richmond’s community needs assessment as a top priority for Richmond residents.

As a certified Mental Health First Aid trainer, Ms. Miles has delivered mental health training to hundreds of residents, service providers, school security officers, and others working in the local community to help them recognize signs of mental health disorders and develop skills to assist individuals who are experiencing mental health crises. Through her efforts to bring mental health training to her community, she has helped raise awareness and reduce the stigma faced by those living with mental illness. Her work in mental health was featured in an October 2014 blog article, which can be found here.

We congratulate Ms. Miles on her well-deserved nomination for the “Mrs. T” Community Engagement Award presented to the individual who “innovates the neighbor-to-neighbor reach” through leadership and community engagement. We are thankful for her leadership, dedication, and work to improve health and well-being in Richmond.