Governor Jared Polis Honored at Envision:You Garden Party

On the sprawling, blooming grounds of the Denver Botanical Garden, Envision:You hosted their annual Garden Party this year with special guest Colorado Governor Jared Polis.

Envision:You’s yearly Garden Party highlights the life-affirming benefits of their work in providing education, training, and resources to expand the availability of culturally affirming treatment services and in advocating for changes to local and state-wide policies to advance equity for LGBTQ individuals living with mental health and substance use disorders.

This year, Envision:You honored Governor Polis with the “Lean On Me” award for his commitment to this work in the political sphere. Polis made history when he was elected Governor of Colorado in 2018, becoming the first publicly out, gay governor in the nation. Since then, Polis has been a vital advocate for queer rights and health, signing landmark bills for LGBTQ and youth mental health services.

“Receiving the Lean on Me award is not just an honor for me, but for all of those in and out of state government working to advance care and support for the LGBTQ+ community,” Governor Polis says.  “We celebrate the incredible dedication of Envision:You in raising awareness of the need for equity when it comes to mental health and substance misuse services.”

Steven Haden, chief executive officer and co-founder of Envision:You, also celebrated the progress and success the young organization has already achieved. “The recognition and response to our work in just the three years since Envision: You was founded has been overwhelming,” Haden says. “Research shows that LGBTQ+ individuals are more than twice as likely as their straight counterparts to have a mental health disorder in their lifetime. We’re grateful to Governor Polis for understanding the urgent need and providing his unwavering support.”

Also recognized at the Garden Party was the Colorado chapter of the Rx Abuse Leadership Initiative (RALI), an alliance of local, state and national partners dedicated to addressing the opioid crisis. RALI Colorado works with partners throughout the state to support programs that span prevention, treatment, and recovery from opioid addiction to provide tools for the safe disposal of unused and expired prescription medicines and to raise awareness around the warning signs of opioid misuse.

The party also featured live musical performances, poet laureate Assetou Xango, and Denver drag star Dixie Krystals as the Mistress of Ceremonies. Scroll down to see some of the beautiful moments captured at the event!