For more than 30 years, Cindy Tuttle has been dedicated to enriching the lives of adults and children challenged by mental illness or physical disabilities. She began as a college student, working as a Special Education intern at a Sacramento, California public school for students whose disabilities ranged from autism to Down Syndrome. "I had entered college as a music major, but I soon realized God had a different -- and very unexpected -- plan for my life."

After earning a degree in Human Services from American River College, Cindy both worked and served as a volunteer at hospitals, mental health facilities and outreach programs in California and New Mexico. She's worked as a Cerebral Palsy respite worker, an Activity Coordinator for older adults with severe medical and mental health issues and as an art and music volunteer at a long-term care facility. From 1993-2009, she was a staff member at Turning Point in Sacramento, which provides psychiatric services, support and advocacy for people working to overcome the effects of mental illness. "I did just about everything in my years a Turning Point, from driving a van to running an employment program, leading support groups for family members and developing a faith sharing group for the residents."

Cindy has served on the Sacramento County Mental Health Consumer Committee and Mental Health Advisory Board as well as its Older Adult Committee. She has twice been named the Advocate of the Year for Sacramento County by the Mental Health Association.

In addition authoring four books, Cindy writes about Christian events and community news in the Sacramento area for the San Francisco edition of Examiner.com and is a regular contributor to Big Blend Magazine.