Karen A. Evans (2010 Mary Rines Thompson Award Winner) is a 25-year advocate and champion of people challenged by poverty, homelessness, and mental illness. In 1986, she recognized the need for a Portland soup kitchen; she brought together area churches to address this with her, and these efforts have become Wayside Soup Kitchen. A year later, she was active in the campaign to establish a dignified shelter for Portland's homeless. She advocated for the recently-created Medicaid Bus Pass Program, providing a monthly bus pass to individuals who have two or more Medicaid appointments per month, now serving more than 650 consumers each month. A 20-year member of Amistad, Karen was awarded the 2008 "Heroes in the Fight Award" by the Maine Chapter of the National Association of Mental Illness (NAMI Maine).
In 1999 Karen began the Cemetery Project, a journey to bring identification and dignity to the final resting places of deceased patients of Augusta Mental Health Institute. Through her own work, and the help of the many volunteers she recruited to her cause, Karen collected the names of men, women, and children who died while under the care of AMHI. She petitioned the legislature to make these records public. Today this list, dating from 1840 to the present, is on display at Augusta's Riverview Psychiatric Center.
Through her participation in organizations like the Disability Rights Center, the Consumer Council System of Maine, and the Maine Warm Line, Karen works toward more holistic model of mental health recovery. In her vision, healing happens from both expert intervention AND well-crafted peer support.
"Many people talk about what's missing and wonder who will do something about it," says Carol Carothers, executive director of NAMI Maine. "Karen talks a lot about what's missing, then she makes a plan to either do something, or to motivate those who have the power and authority to enact change."