BPHC’s Own Bianka Çimrin Recognized with Two Community Awards
This month, BPHC’s Associate Director, Bianka Çimrin, was honored with two different awards recognizing her leadership, advocacy, and commitment to prevention and community well-being. Flavors Hook Kids highlighted Bianka’s prevention work and invited her to share her story in a feature interview. In it she reflected on how deeply personal this work is and spoke about her desire to be a positive role model for her daughter and family. She further emphasized that prevention is essential for youth development, community well-being, and achieving health equity.
In her interview, Bianka highlighted the priorities that guide her approach to prevention:
Empowering Youth: Prevention is most effective when young people are not only informed but also empowered as leaders, with opportunities to use their voices and shape their own health outcomes.
Broad Collaboration: Success comes through partnership—combining local engagement, statewide collaboration, and policy advocacy.
Addressing Misconceptions: Many parents still view vaping as a “safe alternative” to smoking, a dangerous misconception that shows how critical education and outreach remain.
Environmental Awareness: Beyond health impacts, tobacco and nicotine products cause serious environmental damage, from cigarette butt pollution to the hazardous waste created by disposable vapes.
Challenging Stigma and Normalization: Substance use is often both stigmatized and normalized, creating a complicated dynamic that can prevent people from seeking help.
Prevention is not just about changing one person’s habits, but about creating a supportive environment for everyone.” – Bianka Çimrin
“Prevention is not just about changing one person’s habits, but about creating a supportive environment for everyone.”
Her core message is simple but powerful: prevention succeeds when communities “show up, stay involved, and use our voices.”
In addition to this honor, Bianka was also recognized by City Market, Onion River Co-op with the Community Service Award in Honor of Don Schramm at their Annual Member Meeting. This annual award is presented to an individual whose contributions have had a lasting and positive impact on Burlington, with nominations coming directly from community members. Bianka was recognized for her service in substance use prevention, her leadership as a member of the City’s Board of Health, and her historic role as one of the first immigrants to serve on the Burlington City Council.
Together, these two awards shine a spotlight on Bianka’s passion for prevention and her unwavering belief in the power of community. They reflect the values at the heart of BPHC: collaboration, advocacy, and the conviction that healthier communities can be built when everyone works together.
