Courtesy Saratoga County Citizens Committee for Mental Health
The Saratoga County Citizens Committee for Mental Health (SCCCMH) named Laraine Desmond as 2019 Citizen of the Year.
Desmond has provided direct care for hundreds of severely mentally ill individuals during her 30-year career working with Transitional Services Association (TSA), thee agency said.
For most of that time, she has served as the program director for the Stonebridge Community Residence. Officials said she has served with integrity and commitment through more than a few transitions and changes within the field of mental health and at TSA.
“The stability, sincerity, and experience Laraine brings to her job is both substantial and significant. It is impossible to calculate the positive impact Laraine’s service has had on TSA residents over the years,” the agency said in a statement. “It has literally been felt daily by people living with mental illness for her entire tenure at TSA. When asked about her work, Laraine said, ‘Often you hear people saying they love helping people, but I say I love the people I help. It is that simple.’”
TSA officials aid Desmond’s approach has benefited so many clients during her decades of service to the mentally ill in Saratoga County. “It is because of her enormous heart that so many have benefited from being under her care. Being selected as the 2019 SCCCMH Citizen of the Year is a well-deserved honor for Laraine.”
Desmond was honored at the annual Mental Health Matters (MHM) benefit on May 1 at Longfellows Restaurant.
For more information on SCCCMH, visit www.SCCCMH-Saratoga.org or contact Peggy Lounsbury, Chairperson, at 518-583-8371.