STOP THE STIGMA

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Angela Benveniste

Alex Rivera is the Supervisor for Social and Community Services at MLK Community Healthcare (MLKCH). Born and raised in South LA, Rivera’s passion for making a difference comes from witnessing firsthand the challenges many residents face, including poverty, lack of access to healthy foods, healthcare disparities, and limited resources.

In 2017, Rivera played an integral role in establishing Ambulatory Social Services at MLKCH and became the department’s first social worker. Leveraging 15+ years of experience in underserved communities, Rivera built Social Determinants of Health into the program and established a comprehensive outreach program to connect community members experiencing homelessness to education and medical services. He is also a key leader for MLKCH’s successful Recipe for Health program, which helps patients address food insecurity and learn about healthier food options.

 

Dr. Benveniste is an experienced Faculty Director with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. Skilled in non-profit organizations, sociology of education, educational assessment, psychology, applied psychology, sociology of culture, medical social work, foster care, and economic and racial inequality. Strong professional with a Research Doctorate focused in Social Work from the University of Southern California.

Dr. Benveniste is passionate about supporting education that enhances societal understanding of the challenges facing different underserved populations.

2024 Winners 

COMMUNITY INTERVENTION

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Alex Rivera

innovation​

Sandi Forti

HOPE Awards at the SCRIPT conference are a special awards given to recognize individuals who have inspired others in 3  different categories: ​​

Education and Training

​Awarded to individuals who have demonstrated how training has positively affected efficiency and effectiveness through academics. Approaches to teaching and the support of learning that influence, motivate and inspire students to learn. Development of curricula, resources or services that reflect a command of the field. Evaluation practices that result in improvements in teaching and learning. Innovation, leadership or scholarship that has influenced and enhanced learning and teaching and/or the student experience.

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Community Intervention

Awarded to an individual or team that has assisted communities/individuals in taking the next steps in life by demonstrating commitment to addressing community needs through intervention and advocating for peaceful solutions to violence. The commitment is through the implementation of exceptional program(s) that engage the community to improve and foster restorative initiates.

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Innovation

Awarded to an individual who has demonstrated that innovation has contributed to a more efficient way of doing things  using creativity and originality. The innovation benefits the community by reducing violence and costs and using data that  validates the effectiveness of the innovation.

Sandi is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in Columbus, Ohio. She has a thriving practice in central Ohio with years of experience dealing with a wide range of emotional and psychological difficulties.  She has more than two decades of AIDS work in California and Ohio, building on previous work in the areas of pain management and physical disabilities.  Her dual interests in archetypal psychology and body awareness have added breadth and depth to her work with individuals seeking to heal from past traumas and who desire new ground for a relationship with the present. She sees herself as providing a context within which trauma can be understood as part of the landscape of the soul, and healing can lay the foundation for the development and expression of the authentic self. She has worked for many years with victims and perpetrators of sexual abuse, as well as working with families who struggle to love and heal both the victim and the offender. She is also versed in working with the patterns of thinking and behavior that grow out of the effort to cope with abuse, such as depression, dissociation, use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs, etc.

​SCRIPT

​Summit on Community Resilience, Intervention, Prevention, and Training