The Henrico Area Mental Health & Developmental Services (HAMHDS) Board will unveil the Mary Ann Bergeron Hall of Fame and honor its first inductees on Thursday, July 21 at the East Center, 3908 Nine Mile Road.
A 4 p.m. ceremony will celebrate Nita J. Grignol and George H. Hettrick for their service, commitment and significant contributions to the HAMHDS Board, the agency and individuals and families receiving services. Mr. Hettrick will be recognized posthumously.
“We are grateful for the contributions and commitment demonstrated by these two community leaders, and we are eager to celebrate their personal contributions and commitment to the lives of so many,” said Karen Metz, chair of the HAMHDS Board.
Grignol, who is retired from the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, was instrumental in establishing Parents for Community Based Services in Henrico, an organization that advocated for day support and employment services for individuals diagnosed with an intellectual disability. She served as the Tuckahoe District representative on the HAMHDS Board from 1998 through 2009 and again from 2011 through 2019, including service as board chair in 2004-05.
Hettrick, a longtime attorney with Richmond firm Hunton & Williams, was key to the development of Lawyers Helping Lawyers, a program that assists attorneys dealing with substance use disorder (the program is known now as Virginia Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program). He represented the Varina District on the HAMHDS Board from 1997 through 2005, including service as board chair in 2002-03.
The annual awards program is named in honor of Mary Ann Bergeron, the founding executive director of the Virginia Association of Community Services Boards, who served the association from 1989 to 2014. The legacy of Ms. Bergeron, who died in December, lives on in the work conducted by a behavioral health authority and 39 community services boards across Virginia, Metz said.
A permanent display of the Mary Ann Bergeron Hall of Fame will be located at the HAMHDS offices on Woodman Road.
More information about the Henrico Area Mental Health & Developmental Services Board is available at henrico.us/mhds/about-us/.
