A place to belong: Miracle Clubhouse assists people with mental health needs

Afewyears ago, I was asked by a fellow lawyer to be on the Board of Family Services. I have lived in Dayton for over 40 years, and been involved with several non-profit organizations, but had never even heard of Family Services. So I did, what I tend do in this electronic age, a google search to find out more about the agency. What I found out was that Family Services is a non-profit agency that works tirelessly to help those in need, in so many ways, but does so quietly and without much fanfare.

The president of my former firm knew I had an interest in helping people with mental health issues and connected me to one of the most intriguing models for mental health rehabilitation in the Miami Valley.

Adults recovering from mental illness have a safe, judgment-free space –Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley’s Miracle Clubhouse – where members participate in work-structured activities, share lunch and community, and receive job and educational services.

What Miracle Clubhouse is about

Part of the GESMV Community Services Campus and located at 243 Warren St. in Dayton, Miracle Clubhouse is open to any adult with a mental health diagnosis. Member dues are $1 per day. The 4,200-square-foot, fully accessible facility is across the street from Coco’s Bistro and includes meeting rooms, a full-service kitchen, educational and job resources and a garden. Produce harvested from the garden serves as ingredients for healthy lunches planned and served by members and staff.

Miracle Clubhouse is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on certain holidays so members have somewhere to celebrate. It is accredited through Clubhouse International (www.clubhouse-intl.org), an evidence-based practice that has been shown to promote recovery from mental illness. Once I toured the Clubhouse and spoke with Kathy Trick, who has served as the MC’s program coordinator for its 11-year entirety, I was all in. I immediately joined the Advisory Council so I could contribute to this wonderful organization.

At the heart of the Clubhouse model is a sense of community and the belief that work and relationships are rehabilitative. Inside Miracle Clubhouse, everyone is equal. Members are needed, belong and engage in all aspects of the program’s operation. Through this work, skills and relationships are developed which lead to recovery and increased self-sufficiency, employment and socialization in the broader community. Members have structure that allows them to grow as individuals.

The Clubhouse model is growing

Thanks to Miracle Clubhouse, its counterpart in Cleveland, Magnolia Clubhouse, and state funding, the Clubhouse movement is gaining ground in Ohio and neighboring states, Trick told me. Pathways Clubhouse in Columbus received a leg-up from Dayton, as did start-up Clubhouses in Cincinnati, Delaware and Union, Portage, Mahoning, Ashtabula and Geauga counties. Interested groups in Kentucky also have visited Dayton’s Clubhouse to see about starting their own programs.

“It has been great to help promote and establish obtaining funding through Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services,” she said. “The Clubhouse model is becoming more recognized as something that truly works, and it’s been incredible to meet these organizations that are starting up new Clubhouses in our state. We provide support, friendship and mentorship – just as Magnolia Clubhouse did and still does for Miracle Clubhouse.”

“This is a legitimate model of rehabilitation with proven success rates,” Trick continued. “It lowers rates of hospitalization and incarceration, thus saving taxpayer dollars and improving people’s lives.

“It’s been very exciting for our members to know what they’re doing is being replicated across the state,” she said. “I think they see the bigger picture that it is truly an international model with hundreds of Clubhouses that help eliminate the stigma – that mental illness can happen to anybody, anywhere, and recovery is possible.”

When experiencing Miracle Clubhouse, you get the opportunity to see success stories because you see members who have had issues and managed to work through them. It’s very encouraging to see individuals who have been in crisis, at their lowest point and usually in the hospital, and then you see them improving.

Celebrating 11-plus years of community service

Having relationships, a purpose and meaningful work are the means of recovery, and that is what Miracle Clubhouse provides. Trick has served as program coordinator since the Clubhouse was launched in 2012 in the basement of the former St. Elizabeth’s hospital.

“It’s great how we have grown. I come every day and am inspired by the members and staff,” Trick said.

She pointed to Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley’s commitment to behavioral health.

“We are grateful they decided to put some of their mission-based funding into this program,” Trick said. “They are innovative and forward-thinking for better ways to serve individuals.”

The new GESMV West Campus Community Services Center in Trotwood is a prime example, she said, and will include some behavioral health components.

Area responses are improving

During her tenure, Trick said she has seen progress and increased efforts by the Montgomery County ADAMHS Board and other organizations to boost and coordinate services so area individuals living with mental health challenges are better served.

The MC also serves as an integral part of the area’s Crisis Intervention Team training for police officers and first responders. Members and staff give presentations during the training so those in attendance develop a better understanding and response when encountering someone experiencing a mental health crisis.

“If I am an officer responding to an individual suffering a psychiatric episode, I can learn how to de-escalate my response to their behavior,” Trick said. “It’s all about the response and understanding mental illnesses and seeing the individual as a person.”

“I’ve heard so many times from officers who see our members and remember, despite the stress of their job, that they are people – they see their humanity.”

Trick said she appreciates the collaboration between Montgomery County and Dayton courts, the Montgomery County ADAMHS Board and the CIT training program.

“It improves our community,” she said.

Learning About Clubhouse

A luncheon called “We Are Mental Wellness 2023” will be held May 18 from 11:30 a.m. to about 1:15 p.m. at Dayton’s Carillon Historical Park in the Eichelberger Pavilion. The event, sponsored by Ferguson Construction, WHIO-TV and K99.1 FM, will feature remarks by mental health speaker Mike Veny, an online auction sponsored by Gary and Rachel Auman, networking and a Miracle Clubhouse member presentation. Information regarding “We Are Mental Wellness” can be found online at https://gesmv.org. For more information, see www.gesmv.org or call MC coordinator Kathy Trick at 937-262·7983 or k.trick@gesmv.org. On Facebook: www.facebook.com/miracleclubhouse

Attorney Charles "Chuck" Lowe recently closed his sole practice and has joined the firm of Smith, Meier & Webb as Of Counsel. Chuck has been listed by the Best Lawyers in America for the 26th consecutive year in the practice areas of family law and personal injury.

Photographed at right, Chuck alongside attorney Stan Greenburg. Chuck stated "No two lawyers opposed each other or had more fun than Stan and I. Although we had hundreds of cases against each other, we tried probably no more than 7 or 8. We simply knew pretty much what the Court would do so we settled the rest, thus saving the client money, emotion, and time. That is how it used to be."

Pickrel, Schaeffer & Ebeling Co., LPA is proud to announce that Marcella McHenry recently joined the firm as an Associate attorney. Marcella will be a member of our Business Department, where she will concentrate her practice on Corporate Law, Real Estate Transactions, and Business Law.

Marcella completed her undergraduate degree at Ursuline College, where she was also a Division II Cross Country and Track Athlete. She obtained her Juris Doctorate from the University of Dayton School of Law in 2022. While there, Marcella was a Comment Editor and Staff Writer for the UD Law Review, as well as VP of the Intellectual Property Club and TA for Professional Responsibility. Marcella also holds the highest grades (CALIs) in Civil Procedure and Professional Responsibility.

Marcella has experience working for clients in a variety of matters and enjoys the challenges of solving problems and meeting objectives.

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