Peers recognize Sister Mary Fran with Spirit Award

Sister Mary Fran Simons, who has been chaplain at Chandler (Ariz.) Valley Hope treatment facility since it opened in 1986, was honored for her years of service with the 2009 Spirit Recognition Award.


The award highlights a clinical professional in the Phoenix metropolitan area who has assisted clients in different specialty areas such as eating disorders, chemical dependency or mental health.


Some 200 people gathered at Sierra Tucson’s “Gratitude for Giving” breakfast in Phoenix Dec. 11 to honor Sister Mary Fran and the other award recipients. Hers was one of 11 annual awards presented to mental health professionals and social service personnel selected for the honors.


The program director for Chandler Valley Hope, Roger Nelson, nominated Sister Mary Fran. “She is our very own Mother Teresa who has had an enormous impact on the spiritual development of our patients,” Nelson said as he presented the award.

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