Emmy and Tony Award Winning Actor Ken Howard Lends Star Power at Brattleboro Retreat's 175th Birthday Celebration in Brattleboro, Vermont

Ken Howard, Emmy and Tony Award winning actor, will lend his support and awareness to the benefit that’s slated for Saturday, September 12 at 5:30pm under a grand tent at the Retreat’s campus. Howard will share his personal story about coping with. End Quote

. “It’s all about helping better the lives of those with health issues, whether they are mental or physical,” says Howard. “I’m happy to lend my voice

Boston, MA-NH (1888PressRelease) August 21, 2009 - Emmy and Tony Award Winning Actor Ken Howard Lends Star Power and Helps Raise Awareness of Mental Health Issues at Brattleboro Retreat’s 175th Birthday Celebration.

Guests at the Brattleboro Retreat’s 175th Birthday Party that celebrates 175 years of mental health and addiction recovery and commemorates September as National Recovery Month, will enjoy a sit-down dinner and dancing to an 18-piece band, along with some inspirational star-power. Ken Howard, Emmy and Tony Award winning actor, will lend his support and awareness to the benefit that’s slated for Saturday, September 12 at 5:30pm under a grand tent at the Retreat’s campus.

Howard has had a long career spanning Broadway, TV and Film. He will be remembered for his starring role as Coach Reeves in the television series he created, The White Shadow. Most recently he has been nominated for an Emmy as Outstanding Supporting Actor for his role in Grey Gardens opposite Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore for HBO.

Howard will share his personal story about coping with a family member’s struggle with addiction and depression. “It’s all about helping better the lives of those with health issues, whether they are mental or physical,” says Howard. “I’m happy to lend my voice to the Retreat’s efforts -- mental health is a critical issue that leaves no family or community untouched.”

Howard is no stranger to speaking on behalf of health causes and as a recipient of a kidney transplant, he was appointed chancellor of the National Kidney Foundation and works with their efforts to encourage people to donate organs.

“As a fellow Amherst college mate, we’re delighted to welcome Ken to our community,” says Dr. Robert E Simpson, Jr., president and chief executive officer of the Brattleboro Retreat. “Ken Howard’s personal tragedy will serve to honor the many inspirational stories of recovery and the extraordinary efforts to improve mental health care by the hundreds of dedicated staff, volunteers and professionals who work tirelessly to unmask the stigma and ignorance surrounding mental health and addiction.”

“As we mark our 175th anniversary, we remain committed to leading the way forward in caring for all people with mental health and addictions problems and providing a voice on their behalf,” continues Simpson. “We have recently introduced two new innovative programs and services including a new partial hospitalization/residential program exclusively for uniformed service workers (police, fire, military, EMTs, etc) and a new 16-bed inpatient program for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals.”

The 175th Anniversary Celebration commemorates the Retreat’s septaquintaquinquecentennial birthday and supports The 1834 Fund for the renovation and preservation of the historic campus. Tickets are $75 with Patron Tickets $125. Proceeds from the event will be matched dollar-for-dollar with a grant from the Thomas Thompson Trust. For more information go to
brattlebororetreat.org/175th-anniversary-benefit-celebration or email development ( @ ) brattlebororetreat dot org dot

For information or to order tickets by phone with a credit card, please call 802-258-4313.

Background on Ken Howard:
Howard is best known for his role as basketball coach and former Chicago Bulls player Ken Reeves in the television drama “The White Shadow,” a series he co-created based on his experiences as the only white player on his high school basketball team. Howard also starred in the NBC series “Crossing Jordan” as retired Boston police detective Max Cavanaugh.

The veteran actor and Amherst College graduate has had roles in nearly 100 different television shows and movies, according to the Internet Movie Database. His feature-film debut came in 1970 in “Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon” opposite Liza Minnelli. Additional film credits include “1776,” “Such Good Friends,” “Clear and Present Danger,” “The Net,” “At First Sight,” “In Her Shoes,” and “Dreamer.”

Note to editors:
Did you know?
More than 200,000,000 people in the US are directly affected by addiction, 90% have no idea of what to do about it. More than 23,000,000 are addicts and/or alcoholics and in 2005 less than 4,000,000 addicts and alcoholics received treatment for addiction! The gap is 19,000,000 people who need treatment and are not able to get help.

http://www.brattlebororetreat.org/175th-anniversary-benefit-celebration

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