ICCD and NEW CLUBHOUSES: WELCOMING THE NEXT GENERATION OF CLUBHOUSE COMMUNITIES. The HOPE Clubhouse Story

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1 ICCD and NEW CLUBHOUSES: WELCOMING THE NEXT GENERATION OF CLUBHOUSE COMMUNITIES The HOPE Clubhouse Story Debra Webb, HOPE Clubhouse of Southwest Florida HOPE Clubhouse of Southwest Florida, Inc. was formed by a group of dedicated mental health advocates in August It took time, but the founding Board members of HOPE Clubhouse were parents on a mission. Three mothers of young adults living with mental illness met through NAMI, an American organization that advocates for people with mental illness, and learned about the Clubhouse model. They did extensive research and learned all they could about Fountain House in New York and other Clubhouses around the world. Intrigued and determined, they spent a couple of years reaching out to others in Florida. Through the mental health grapevine, Dianne Steele who along with her husband Elliott founded the successful Clubhouse called Vincent House in Pinellas Park, Florida heard about their growing interest. Dianne invited the group to spend a day at Vincent House. It was well worth the two hour trip! This small group of women, joined by Judith Gartner who is a founding member of the ICCD and the organization s first board president, was blown away by that experience. They were determined to establish a Clubhouse in Fort Myers Florida. Never underestimate the determination and efforts of mothers who only want the best for their children and for people living with mental illness! One of our key developments was participating in the ICCD New Clubhouse Development Training program. The working group participated in this training in 2007 and it really laid the foundation for us to get a road map of where we wanted to go and how to get there. We felt like we now had in our hands a goal plan which served as a major building block towards establishing HOPE Clubhouse. In fact our coach for two years was Joel Corcoran the Executive Director of the ICCD. Right about the same time the establishment of a Community Health Visioning project was conducted to forecast mental health services into This was spearheaded from our local healthcare system called Lee Memorial Health System, which serves a region of about 1 million people. Thirty eight community leaders spent six months gathering input from 1

2 4,000 people in our community through focus groups, town hall meetings, and telephone and internet surveys. The committee ranked the communities need for comprehensive behavioral health services as their first priority. Lee Memorial Health System began working with community and government agencies to develop new collaborative models, like HOPE Clubhouse, to bring these needed resources to our community. The hardest challenges we have faced are: finding the necessary funding to open the Clubhouse; finding enough space to accommodate a Clubhouse work day; and hiring competent staff. Private donations and a grant from the Southwest Florida Community Foundation enabled the Board to hire an Executive Director in February Through a gift of rent free space from the Children s Home Society, we moved into our first Clubhouse a month later. This space was only 500 square feet and could accommodate only ten members at a time. The space was actually a remodeled garage and its tiny kitchen could only comfortably fit 3 members at a time. As the Executive Director, I made more than 10 presentations to begin getting referrals for members to come to our Clubhouse. Within two weeks, ten members joined. The space was so small that we had to rotate members coming in, but we looked at this hurdle as just a start. I, as Executive Director and a member, John Megara went to Gateway House in Greenville, South Carolina, headed up by Phil Emory and his wife Nancy. It was there that we learned the inner workings of a Clubhouse. This laid the foundation of our success, and it is where we became true believers in the Clubhouse model. A place we strive to be someday. A blessing came our way in January of this year when we moved into our current Clubhouse, which is 2,800 square feet. This new building was donated by a local couple, John and Kathryne King, who are the parents of two adult children who suffer from mental illness. We can now accommodate thirty members a day. Our new Clubhouse has enough room for a Transitional Employment area, a banking unit, a clerical unit, a supply room, a reception area and a culinary unit. Through a grant from the county, we built a kitchen, snack bar and dining area in half of the facility. We also received a grant from a local Foundation (FOULDS) to buy modern kitchen equipment for this culinary unit. A grant from Synergy has allowed us to purchase new computers, a powerful printer for the Clubhouse and a donor database. Further, the sum of one million dollars has been placed in the John and Kathryne King Foundation for the benefit of HOPE Clubhouse. Annually, six percent of the fund s value is distributed to HOPE Clubhouse to help support the Clubhouse program. We have also been donated a parcel of land by Arthur and Kathy Fleck for the future construction of a Clubhouse. 2

3 We have held four successful fundraising events. One included a celebrity Comedian, Kevin Nealon, and another with Jimmy Buffet s Band. We are very proud that we have started our Transitional Employment Program in February 2011 of this year, when we received a grant from Able trust to hire an additional staff member. We have six jobs secured and six members are working! Employers include, Dairy Queen, South Seas Resort, and a bookstore, and a construction project. Since we opened just over a year ago, we have served 53 members. Members report that they are happier and more stable after attending the Clubhouse. We also have a waiting list of 37 people. We average 14 members working at the Clubhouse every day. Since we began none of our members have relapsed into crisis stabilization centers and only one has returned to partial hospitalization. We have found six members jobs and have made 25 presentations to employers about our Transitional Employment Program. We have two staff members in addition to our Executive Director. We are growing larger and helping more people every day. Our goal is to have ten members in Transitional or Supported employment by the end of the year. By 2012 we hope to have ten housing units for members and two additional staff persons. HOPE Clubhouse has been successful largely through the caring support of individuals and organizations that are passionate about helping individuals living with mental illness. John and Kathryne King, major donors, have been instrumental to our success. They purchased our larger, more modern Clubhouse and have established a million dollar fund to support HOPE Clubhouse. A generous CDBG grant from Lee County Human Services allowed us to build a new culinary unit that will double our space and our membership. Essential to our success has been our very strong and passionate leadership, committed to educating the community about the need of a Clubhouse and the ability to fundraise to meet those needs. The Board of Directors has been a working board that also donates funds to the Clubhouse. We are fortunate to have Judith Gartner and Bill Maddeus who are both ICCD board members as well. We currently get no funding from the State of Florida, but we are working toward that as well. All of our current funds are from foundations, corporations and private donors. If I had to provide a recipe for establishing a successful Clubhouse, it would have the following ingredients: a passionate board and Executive Director, determined leadership, courage to stand up for stomping out the stigma of mental illness, and courage to ask for funding. 3

4 We have also been blessed to attract and engage members who are dedicated to making the Clubhouse a success. Members write grants, volunteer at fundraisers and publish marketing materials for the Clubhouse. Members each come in with their own set of skills. At the Clubhouse, they are defined by their unique personalities and talents, and not their illnesses. HOPE Clubhouse is committed to reversing the stigma surrounding mental illness. At HOPE Clubhouse we believe that all members can work towards making their own Clubhouse a success. Here is a success story from Joyce Miller who is very passionate about the Clubhouse, and is a parent and board member. She exemplifies passion, determination and courage everyday as she advocates for the Clubhouse and her own daughter. Jourdan's Journey out of Darkness It has been a three year journey with our beautiful daughter Jourdan, learning to live with mental illness. Mental illness is not just about drugs and biology, it s about real people. Jourdan was 18 years old in her freshman year of college. She was a champion Irish dancer that had traveled all over the world performing and entertaining others. Her goal was to become the best Registered Nurse that she could be. However, that was suddenly cut short when mental illness roared like a lion into her life. She was diagnosed with Bi polar, Anxiety and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. As her father and I educated ourselves on this horrific intruder that had taken our daughter, we also started a quest to find the best doctors and therapists. As we continued, Jourdan was slowly slipping away from us, into the abyss of darkness. On September 17 th 2009, Jourdan almost succeeded in taking her own life. The doctors told us it was a miracle she survived. Jourdan always had the support of family and some friends that remained close, but still something was missing. She felt very alone and the darkness surrounded her. After a lot of searching and prayer, our quest to help her led us to the HOPE Clubhouse. What helped make Jourdan s recovery so successful is the HOPE Clubhouse model. Helping her face her mental illness head on with hope for a productive life and connecting with others. Yes, medications are critical for stabilization but connecting with other people delivers hope for a better life. Productivity provides a vehicle to reach for goals. This is a powerful tool for healing. She wasn t alone in her illness anymore. The Clubhouse offered a new beginning, a chance to overcome her illness. 4

5 Jourdan s story is not just of Mental Illness but of a beautiful young woman with a lot of strength, courage and hope. The Clubhouse taught Jourdan that she is not defined by her illness but by the warm, loving and happy person she really is. The HOPE Clubhouse not only changed her life but saved her life. The support the staff and members gave her and continue to give is vital to Jourdan. This is her family! She embraces them and her illness. We are happy and proud to say Jourdan has returned to college and finished the last semester with A s and B s. She has grown immensely at the HOPE Clubhouse. She has become her own advocate and is now educating the community and legislators about the benefits and needs of the Clubhouses in the state of Florida. We thank God and the HOPE Clubhouse from the bottom of our hearts. I would like to thank all of you for letting me share her journey out of darkness 5