MoorHeart Award recipient Alison Wolbeck (center) with Mayor Shelly Carlson and Jenna Kahly, who nominated her for the award.

Mental health advocate Alison Wolbeck was presented with October’s MoorHeart Award at Tuesday’s meeting of the Moorhead City Council.
Wolbeck chairs the board of directors of A Place for Hope Recovery and Wellness Center, where she is a regular volunteer. She has served on the Minnesota State Advisory Council on Mental Health for the past 112 years, and has co-chaired the Clay County Adults Mental Health Local Advisory Council for eight.
Jenna Kahly, who nominated Wolbeck for the award, wrote, “Alison uses kindness and hard work to guide changes in how people treat and talk about mental health. She works tirelessly to see positive change in the field.”
Wolbeck has pushed for reduction of barriers to receiving mental health care, as well as elimination of the stigma surrounding mental illness. She works with those receiving these services and their families to find ways to bridge gaps and expand the care that’s available for clients.
Her nomination added, “Alison is striving to build spaces in Moorhead where everyone can find belonging, support and hope.” Calling this passion “her life’s work,” nominator Kahly added, “That work is largely unpaid; it is all of us who are receiving the rewards.”
Nominations of individuals and organizations for the monthly award are open to the public. A team of volunteers from city boards and commissions selects award recipients, who receive a piece of art created by Hudi Kobrinsky. For more information, go to www.cityofmoorhead.com and search “MoorHeart.”