Curt Chisholm, a Helena man who has coordinated the National Alliance on Mental Illness Montana Walk for several years, will receive this year’s Beautiful Minds Dignity Award on Saturday, May 3, at the Beautiful Minds Dignity Dinner and Auction.

The dinner will be held at the Great Northern Hotel in Helena.

Receiving the Dignity Business Award will be Paula Vander Jagt, owner and manager of Van’s Thriftway. This is the first Dignity Business Award to be given.

The Dignity Award is given each year to an individual, and this year to a business, for having given remarkable gifts of time, energy, talent and resources to make life better for those with mental illness.

Chisholm and Vander Jagt were chosen by a committee of past Dignity Award winners.

According to Gary Mihelish, president of NAMI-Montana, “Curt and I have known each other since grade school. Curt is a passionate, dedicated advocate for people who live with mental illness.”

Mihelish also lauded Vander Jagt’s award. “Paula is an angel. She does more behind the scenes than people know about,” he said.

From 2004-07 Chisholm has served as the chairperson for the Montana NAMI Walk, which raises funds and awareness statewide on behalf of those with mental illness and their families. Chisholm and the NAMIWalk committee have raised approximately $242,000 over the past four years.

In addition, he has spent the past six years working with Rocky Mountain Development Council as their special projects coordinator.