Introducing Our New Trustee: Ricki Lake
On May 12, 2022, Community Access hosted our 48th Anniversary Good Neighbor Gala—our first return to the annual in-person event since 2019. We were honored to welcome Ricki Lake as our special guest and keynote speaker for the evening.
Ricki Lake is an Emmy Award-winning actress, television host, producer, documentarian, and activist. She has starred in over 50 television and film roles, including the classics Cry Baby, Cecil B. Demented, and Hairspray — which earned her an Independent Spirit Award Nomination for Best Female Lead.
At only 24, she became the youngest talk show host in history and went on to win a Daytime Emmy for The Ricki Lake Show.
Her documentary films The Business of Being Born and The Business of Birth Control have garnered attention at the Tribeca Film Festival and other festivals across the country and shed important light on the dangers that women are often exposed to through routine medical practices.
Ricki is also an outspoken advocate for mental health, and she has worked to break down the stigma that surrounds mental health struggles by sharing her personal stories with the world.
We’re pleased to announce that Ricki has joined our Board of Trustees! We invite you to read her remarks from the gala and learn about her journey:.
Good evening, everyone. It is so wonderful to be here with you tonight. I am honored by the invitation.
And of course, I love returning to New York City, where I lived for many, many years – and where my oldest son lives today. I was born and raised here and though I now live in Malibu, I will forever be a New Yorker at heart. It is here in NYC where I taped The Ricki Lake Show for eleven seasons!
And, while I was often celebrated for being the youngest talk show host ever (I was only 24 when we launched in 1993)– what I cared most about the show was how we gave a platform and started a dialogue with real people about real issues.
I always wanted viewers at home watching from their living rooms to see themselves and the issues they were struggling with addressed openly and without judgment.
And that’s what brings me here tonight, for this beautiful event, where we have been sharing our stories with one another.
It has been too long since we were able to gather in person for occasions like these, so let’s savor this rare and precious moment.
We are here to celebrate the good, and necessary work of Community Access, and the role each of you have played in moving its mission forward.
I had the good fortune to spend time visiting Community Access, and I am totally blown away by the beauty of your buildings and your people. I met the warmest staff and tenants. It was immediately apparent that Community Access nurtures deep and genuine connections.
And as the COVID pandemic revealed, we need connection. We need to be seen, to be heard, and to be loved unconditionally. These connections have the power to heal.
I consider myself to be an empath, someone who is deeply affected and impacted by people and their stories. I have certainly overcome much hardship in my 53 years.
Two years ago, right before the pandemic, I did one of the scariest things I’ve ever done. I came out and shared a secret I’d been struggling with for decades. I was deeply ashamed about my hair loss. It affected every aspect of my life, my work, my personal relationships, every time I looked in the mirror, or took a shower, I felt so bad about myself. My mental health was deeply impacted by this internal and lonely struggle.
I finally told my story and shared my secret on Jan. 1, 2020, as a way of being set free and coming clean for this new decade. I shaved my head in grand fashion and surrendered. In doing so, I took back my life in a lot of ways and came to a place of true self-acceptance and self-love.
I was no longer hiding or faking anything anymore. The outpouring of support and love I received from the public was instrumental in my healing.
Like so many of the individuals Community Access serves, I, too, have struggled with mental health. I’ve lived through major trauma and depression, and so have so many people who are very dear to me.
My former husband, Christian Evans, also struggled with bipolar disorder, although he resisted that label for much of his life. And why shouldn’t he? Like all of us, Christian was so much more than his diagnosis.
He was, among other things, my greatest teacher and one of my deepest, greatest loves.
But after facing so much hardship, he made the decision to take his life. And though I tried to comfort myself with the idea that he was finally at peace, I was heartbroken.
With time and the right support, I have been able to heal, though I do miss him and I always will.
Just a few weeks ago, my beloved dog, Mama, fell ill and unexpectedly died. Another heartbreak.
She was the rescue dog I adopted a year before Christian’s death. Mama was my little healer when Christian passed. She was my responsibility and she got me outside and in nature, putting one foot in front of the other, to keep going.
We were the closest companions, and at the start of this year, when I married my beloved, new husband, Ross, we three became a family.
I bring up Mama, because I know Community Access respects the healing power of that love we share with our animals. It’s why all Community Access buildings allow tenants to have pets, and it’s why they run their pet adoption program: Pet Access.
This is what sets Community Access apart: its humanity. We really are all neighbors, and while these past two Covid-filled years may have made us more fragile – we have also become stronger.
If any of you have ever questioned whether it’s possible to end homelessness in New York City, or whether it’s possible to recover from devastating trauma, the simple answer is: YES.
If we throw our support behind organizations like Community Access, YES. A thousand times, yes!
This week, I made a commitment to Community Access to join its Board of Trustees to help lend my voice to this important work. I am proud to be here, and to be involved.
And, I want to thank you all!.
About Community Access
Community Access’ mission is to expand opportunities for people living with mental health concerns to recover from trauma and discrimination through affordable housing, training, advocacy and healing-focused services. We are built upon the simple truth that people are experts in their own lives.
