Starfish Awards
The Starfish Thrower Story
I awoke early, as I often did, just before sunrise to walk by the ocean's edge and greet the new day. As I moved through the misty dawn, I focused on a faint, faraway movement. I saw a boy, bending and reaching and waving his arms – dancing on the beach, no doubt in celebration of the perfect day soon to begin.
“As I approached, I sadly realized that he was not dancing, but rather bending to sift through the debris left by the night's tide, stopping now and then to pick up a starfish and then standing, to heave it back into the sea. I asked the boy the purpose of the effort. "The tide has washed the starfish onto the beach and they cannot return to the sea by themselves," he replied. ‘When the sun rises, they will die, unless I throw them back to the sea.’
“I looked at the vast expanse of beach, stretching in both directions. Starfish littered the shore in numbers beyond calculation. The hopelessness of the boy's plan became clear to me and I pointed out, ‘But there are more starfish on this beach than you can ever save before the sun is up. Surely you cannot expect to make a difference.’
He paused briefly to consider my words, bent to pick up a starfish and threw it as far as possible. Turning to me he simply said,
"I made a difference to that one.”
On September 28, 2007, the Wyoming Department of Health held the 1st annual Starfish Thrower Awards at the Best Western Ramkota Hotel in Casper Wyoming. The Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Division would like to congratulate and recognize the winners of this award.
Click Here for more information on the winners of this award!
September is National Recovery Month and a time to celebrate the heroic efforts of the people of Wyoming who are in recovery from substance abuse and mental health disorders.
The annual Starfish Awards specifically acknowledge:
· Persons in recovery from substance abuse
· Persons in recovery from a mental health disorder
· A substance abuse and/or mental health treatment advocate
· A public servant which can include an elected or appointed official, judge, legislator, or other public official
· A substance abuse and/or mental health treatment program
· A community coalition
· A substance abuse therapist
· A mental health therapist
· A Wyoming youth, youth group, school, class, or individual under the age of 25 years advocating or supporting recovery
· A Wyoming family or parents who are in recovery
For more information, please contact: Shawna Kautzman at: Shawna.Kautzman@health.wyo.gov