ELORA – On Nov. 5, prior to the kickoff for the fourth annual Here4Hope event, Cecilia Marie Roberts was named the inaugural recipient of the Canadian Mental Health Association of Waterloo Wellington (CMHA) Workplace Wellness Champion Award.
County director of human resources Susan Farrelly presented the award to Roberts, the county’s manager of strategic wellness initiatives.
“From the beginning we knew the strength of perspective and compassion Cecilia Marie would bring to our team,” Farrelly said.
“To say that she knocked it out of the park would be an understatement.
“If you have had the privilege of working with Cecilia Marie, you know what a profound gift her presence and determination is.”
Roberts began her acceptance speech teary-eyed as she shared her gratitude for her colleagues. She became a county employee near the beginning of 2023 but has worked in the mental health industry for nearly 20 years.
The work she has completed includes:
- leading the county’s wellness program;
- leading the county’s member municipalities through the development of a psychological safety community practice; and
- training and supporting connectors, particularly county managers, on best practices and supporting employees in difficult situations.
Roberts also had a hand in many CMHA initiatives in the county such as World Suicide Prevention Day and the Here4Hope Wellington community-based life promotion and suicide prevention project.
“I have worked in this space for almost 20 years and like many people in this room, I too have a story about suicide,” Roberts said.
She noted her story “kept me in this work and it fueled me for this work.”
“I leave this stage feeling very much like every person I’ve met, every call I’ve taken in the middle of the night, some buildings that I stood on top of and some bridges and hands I’ve held …
“Each and every one of them were a gift and will absolutely be knit into the fabric of who I am and who I will be moving forward,” Roberts said.
She noted her certainty in the county’s ability to continue to work and create opportunities for the Here4Hope project and to understand that “suicide is not about wanting to die. It’s about struggling to live,” Roberts said.
