Mental Health America honors go to Tucker, Zerkel

Dawn Tucker (left), Cloverdale Middle School principal, receives the Mental Health America of Putnam County Educator of the Year Award for 2017, while retired North Putnam High School Principal Alan Zerkel (right) receives the Person of the Year Award as Bill Nunn, president of MHAoPC, and Karen Martoglio, executive director of MHAoPC, look on at the organization’s recent annual meeting.

Courtesy photo/PIPER VOSS

Recognizing those who have made a difference in our lives can be one of the most rewarding activities we get to do, so when Mental Health America of Putnam County announced its Person of the Year and Educator of the Year awards recently, it was a celebration.

Cloverdale Middle School Principal Dawn Tucker was selected as 2017 Educator of the Year. In her nomination, Tucker was cited as being that shoulder to cry on, helping “remove the shame in finding help for mental health issues,” and leading those in need to find facilities and counselors to tackle anxiety and depression issues.

Also honored during the evening was retired North Putnam High School Principal Alan Zerkel as recipient of the 2017 Person of the Year Award. Besides the schools, he’s been involved with several non-profit agencies in Putnam County.

In his acceptance, Zerkel shared how he did the best he could, how just listening and being available has changed lives, and how important it is to get information out to help those dealing with difficult mental health situations.

Keynote speaker Eric Edberg, professor of Music at DePauw University, gave the presentation, “Depression, Anxiety and Creative Healing,” sharing his healing experiences with improvisation and leading the audience in ways to open up and participate in a collective experience.