TJ Mattingly was surprised.
As she found her seat at the 11th Annual Treatment Providers Alliance awards luncheon Thursday, she thought she would be an attendee and nothing else.
Then, her husband showed up.
“What are you doing here?” she asked him with a puzzled look on her face.
She even joked about her luck in past luncheons—and she’d seen quite a few luncheons in her 23 years at Triumph.
“I never win anything at these things,” she said lightheartedly, referring mostly to the raffle that happens every year.
Even though she didn’t win a gift card or any other door prize, she did win something this year—a lifetime achievement award.
Vicki Smyth (center) and family accept the Joanne Wilson Lifetime Achievement Award on March 12 at the Treatment Providers Alliance luncheon.
Both Mattingly and Vicki Smyth, a counselor in Triumph’s pregnant and/or parent women’s (PPW) programs, were award winners at the luncheon.
What’s more, two members of Triumph’s executive management—Beth Dannhardt and Tom Davidson—presented the awards to Mattingly and Smyth, respectively.
While presenting the Joanne Wilson Lifetime Achievement Award for a Support Person, Dannhardt touched on Mattingly’s tough but dedicated nature.
“(Mattingly) is truly an advocate for the residents,” Dannhardt said. “She is independent and dependable.”
“If you get on a committee with her, you have to work,” she added.
Davidson sang Smyth’s praises as he introduced her and presented the Dave and Sheila Davidson Lifetime Achievement award, which is named after his parents. The award recognized Smyth’s achievement as a chemical dependency counselor.
“(Smyth) is an absolutely tireless advocate for women and children and their families,” he said.
As Smyth approached the podium to accept her award, she was overcome with emotion, partially due to her son’s presence at the luncheon.
She also told stories of seeing women in the community who had graduated from a PPW program. They always seem to express sentiments of gratitude, she said.
As she closed her brief speech, she referred to what drives her.
“I love women,” she said, as the crowd responded with cheers. “I think women could rule the world.”
Be sure to visit Triumph’s Facebook page to see more photos from the luncheon.