(New York, NY) – Hanley Foundation, a leader in substance abuse prevention, education and advocacy for access to quality treatment based in West Palm Beach, Florida, along with Emmy and Academy Award-winning actress Allison Janney, were honored with the Freedom Institute’s Mona Mansell Award at the Institute’s annual Spring Gala in New York City on Monday, May 13.
More than 300 people attended the gala, which was held at the Mandarin Oriental and hosted by NBC News anchor and senior national correspondent Kate Snow. The Mona Mansell Award, named for the Freedom Institute’s founder, is presented annually to an individual and/or an organization who has had a significant impact on substance abuse prevention, treatment and education, and whose commitment to this field is unwavering. Past distinguished honorees include First Lady Betty Ford and the Betty Ford Center, as well as actor and author Alec Baldwin.
“In forty years, the Hanley family and Hanley Foundation have gone from one couple’s idea for bringing substance abuse treatment to Palm Beach County to a national leader that has changed the conversation about substance use disorders, prevention, and treatment,” said Robert L. Miller, chairman of Freedom Institute. “Their work has reached hundreds of thousands of people, and they have created models for prevention and recovery that are emulated all over the country. The Hanley name is synonymous with quality and integrity in the battle against the deadly disease of addiction.”
Jan Cairnes, CEO of Hanley Foundation and Turner Benoit, the Foundation’s Chief Development Officer, attended the Gala and accepted the award on behalf of the Foundation, joined at their table by the Foundation’s New York-based supporters.
“Hanley Foundation is honored to accept this award, particularly because it is named for the visionary Mona Mansell,” Cairnes said. “Mona – much like our own founder, Mary Jane Hanley – was a strong woman whose personal experience gave her the courage and leadership to create a safe place where those suffering from the disease of addiction could find treatment and hope. At the Foundation, we continue to build upon Mary Jane’s legacy with our Lifesaver Scholarship Program, which helps ensure access to quality treatment for those who may not otherwise be able to afford it.”
Janney, who lost a brother to the disease of addiction, was awarded for her ongoing work to raise awareness, reduce the stigma of addiction and encourage people to seek help. She has won two Emmy Awards and two Critics’ Choice Awards for her portrayal of Bonnie, a woman in recovery on the CBS sitcom “Mom,” which further allows her to impact perceptions and awareness of the issue. Janney also won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2017 for her portrayal of figure skater Tonya Harding’s mother, LaVona Golden, in “I, Tonya.”
About Hanley Foundation
In the early 1980s, Mary Jane and Jack Hanley retired to Palm Beach County to discover the absence of any facilities dedicated to quality substance abuse treatment. Through the couple’s visionary leadership and great support from the community, Hanley Center and the Hanley Center Foundation were established. Nearly 40 years later and now expanded throughout Florida, the community continues to recognize the stand-alone Hanley Foundation with great support for its thought leadership, grantmaking and evidence-based programming. The charitable 501(c)(3) organization provides statewide resources for substance use disorder advocacy, education and access to quality treatment. The organization’s prevention programming is available to schools, churches and community groups through grant funding provided by the Florida Department of Children and Families, office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health. With your support, the Hanley Foundation is taking critical steps to change the conversation around substance use disorders.
For more information about Hanley Foundation, or to request free prevention programming for a school, church or youth group, please visit www.hanleyfoundation.org or call 561-268-2355.
About the Freedom Institute
Founded in 1976, Freedom Institute (freedominstitute.org) is a Manhattan based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit outpatient treatment and recovery center dedicated to healing individuals and families affected by substance abuse and addiction. A leader in the field, Freedom Institute is one of the only outpatient treatment facilities to combine Intensive Outpatient Programming (IOP) with a family systems approach. Their 360-degree, innovative, evidenced-based, multi-generational approach to substance abuse prevention education and treatment ensures that all receive the support they need to heal and lead fulfilling lives.
About Allison Janney
Allison Janney is an Academy and Emmy Award-winning actress, beloved for her memorable performances on film and television. Most recently, she won an Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for “I, Tonya.” Currently starring in the CBS sitcom, “Mom,” Janney also received rave reviews for her turn as ‘Margaret Scully’ on “Masters of Sex” and as ‘White House Press Secretary CJ Cregg’ on “The West Wing.” Allison speaks out eloquently, empathetically and powerfully about substance abuse and underlying mental health disorders. Through her advocacy work, her role in “Mom,” which features recovery from substance abuse as a consistent theme, and her personal connection to the issue, having lost a brother to the disease, Ms. Janney has had an incredibly positive impact on raising awareness, reducing the stigma of addiction, and encouraging people to seek help.
About the Mona Mansell Award
The Mona Mansell Award, named after Freedom Institute’s founder, is awarded annually to an individual and/or an organization who has had a significant impact on substance abuse prevention, treatment and education, and whose commitment to this field is unwavering. Past distinguished honorees include First Lady Betty Ford; Jerry Moe, director of Children’s Programs, the Betty Ford Center; Peter Steinglass, Director and President Emeritus of the Ackerman Institute for Families; Tian Dayton, author of Emotional Sobriety and The ACOA Trauma Syndrome; Dr. Kenneth W. Griffin, professor of Health Care Policy and Research Weill Cornell; Bob Roth, the dynamic CEO of the David Lynch Foundation; and the actor and author, Alec Baldwin.
