Nominations now open for the 2026 Coast Mental Health Courage To Come Back Awards
Posted October 10, 2025 9:59 am.
They recognize courage in all its forms. Organizers of the Coast Mental Health Courage To Come Back Awards are now taking nominations for next year’s event.
1130 NewsRadio is a proud sponsor of the awards, which raise critical funds for British Columbians living with mental illness.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!There are four categories for 2026: Medical, Addiction, Mental Health, and Youth — which recognizes nominees aged 19 to 25.
Omar Bseiso is the 2025 recipient for Youth. Raised by a single mother, Omar overcame many medical challenges as a child. But he would not let his past define him.
“You’re defined by who you are, in any given day, and the choices that you make,” he said. “And it’s those choices that are going to pave the way for the rest of your life and for your future.”
David Chalk is the 2025 recipient in the Mental Health category. Because of cognitive challenges related to his neurodiversity, he didn’t learn to read until the age of 62. But now that he has, he wants to help others do the same.
“Fear has killed more dreams than failure ever could,” he said. “That would be the message, if they understand what I am saying there, it’s ourselves that we gotta get out of the way of, and that was the line that my mom taught me, get out of your own way, and you can do anything you want.”
Stan Price is the 2025 recipient for Addiction. By the time he was in his 20s, he was drinking heavily and on crack cocaine — not just using but selling too. And then he developed a heroin addiction. He did not like the person he was becoming.
“It came to a point where I looked at myself in the mirror, and I was like, ‘Do you really want to do this for the rest of your life?’ Like I had to make a decision, and that’s not the life that I wanted.”
Today, he helps others break the cycle of crime and addiction.
“It’s never too late to turn that around and make a difference, make change,” he said.
The deadline for nominations is Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. The awards gala will be held on Thursday, May 28, 2026, at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
