Great Strides, April 2018

Art work by IC artist Jose M.

“...whatever comes to mind you should just draw...”

-Terrex C.

Monday 10:30AM-11:00AM and 1:30PM-3:30PM Wednesday 10:30AM-11:00AM and 1:30PM-3:30PM Friday 10:30AM-11:00AM and 1:30PM-3:30PM (Food Bank is not available during parties and meetings.)

Celebration of Hope Please join us on Tuesday May 1st at 1PM at The First Congregational Church for our annual Celebration of Hope. This is a nondenominational service open to the public. Refreshments will be served. If you are interested in sharing a story, poem, song, or original piece about hope this year please contact Mending Art Coordinator, Amy Smith. A collaborative “Hope” art piece will be created in the IC studio during the month of April, please join us!

Our theme this year will be “The Circle of Hope”. *The IC will close at 1pm on May 1st, to participate in the Celebration of Hope*

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IC Artist Terrex C. held his first ever solo art display! “This experience was breathtaking! It motivates me to do more!” says Terrex. The works he showed were parts of stories he has been working on including images of his characters.

One of his recent drawings was inspired by the artist Yayoi Kusamma after watching her art documentary during a Mending Art workshop. Terrex’s drawing had a whale up in the sky above one of his characters with the names of all his characters in the sky. Terrex says that whatever comes to mind you should just draw. This was the first time that Terrex had seen so much of his art together.

The work he shared was created over the course of several years. “There has been a lot of progress over the years. Seeing exactly what had been in my mind is mind blowing! Having a solo art display is good because I was expanding my imagination while sharing the art.” Terrex says. The members who came to view the art display admired it and let him know what they thought. “Amazing! Not only can you dance, you can draw too! Keep it going!” one of the guest told him. Terrex is hopeful more opportunities to share will come along, he is going to keep working on his art.

IC Artists gather together to share ideas with each other and create!

Everyone is working on their own unique art project. Let’s talk about your latest art project! Join us Fridays at 2PM for Art Club in the Studio! “Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.”- Oscar Wilde

Juan P. is a mixed media artist at the IC. He uses tiles, beads, wood, paint, photographs, gems, and shells for his creations. Juan’s interest in creating began in 1998 when he saw a piece that inspired him to create one of his own and he began with making little shelves. Several months ago he expanded the mediums he uses and works on his artistic process on a regular basis at home and in the studio. He has made several jewelry boxes and is currently working on canvas. Juan says he likes to have “something in the middle” of his images, he recently used photographs at the center of his work of plants that he has grown. Juan is an artist at gardening and has brought his love for plants into his visual art. When he begins an art project he looks at all the ways he could approach it and says “I’m going to do this, it can look better. Everyone has a different touch.” Juan likes to mix up his colors, he separates all of his colors in different bowls to work faster. When asked what art is to him, Juan replies ,“Art is a creation of you!”

April is Alcohol Awareness Month: “Connecting the Dots: Opportunities for Recovery.” Each April since 1987, the National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD) has sponsored Alcohol Awareness Month to increase public awareness and understanding, reduce stigma and encourage local communities to focus on alcoholism and alcohol-related issues.

Ten Fast Facts About Alcohol—Did you know that…

1. 75% of esophageal cancers are attributable to chronic excessive alcohol consumption.

2. Nearly 50% of cancers of the mouth, pharynx and larynx are associated with heavy drinking 3. Chronic alcohol consumption is associated with 10% increase in a woman’s risk of breast cancer.

4. Heavy chronic drinking contributes to approximately 65% of all cases of pancreatitis.

5. Among ER patients admitted for injuries, 47% tested positive for alcohol and 35% were intoxicated; of those who were intoxicated, 75%

showed signs of chronic alcoholism.

6. There are more deaths and disabilities each year in the U.S. from substance abuse than from any other cause.

7. As many as 35% of heavy drinkers develop alcoholic hepatitis.

8. As many as 36% of the cases of primary liver cancer are linked to heavy chronic drinking.

9. Alcoholics are 10 times more likely to develop carcinoma than the general population.

10.Accidents related to alcohol use are among the leading causes of death for teens.

Join us on April 1st, for a workshop around alcohol awareness month.

For people who hear voices: www.facebook.com/cthearin gvoicesnetwork or http://www.hearingvoicesus a.org/ Alternatives to Suicide Support Group 399 Franklin Avenue Hartford Wednesdays 4-5pm http://toivocenter.org/ OCD support group http://psychiatry.yale.edu/o cd/patients/support.aspx Alcoholics Anonymous http://www.aa.org/ Narcotics Anonymous http://www.na.org/ Overeaters Anonymous https://oa.org/ Gamblers Anonymous http://www.gamblersanony mous.org/ga/ For additional information on Support Groups in Connecticut, visit http://www.mhconn.org/ed ucation/information%20and %20referral/ or call: 1-800-842-1510

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Infoline CT 211 Logisticare 1-888-248-9895 Guiding Path Warmline: 1-860-482-1783 or 1-800-314-2680 5pm-10pm 7 days per week

Members at KTP

National Suicide Hotline 1-800-273-8255 Sexual Assault Crisis Hotline 1-888-999-5545 En EspaĂąol 1-888-999-8332 Crisis 1-866-794-0021

Members testifying for the raise bill 366 in act concerning mental health funding Dentists in Waterbury Who take Husky Health Staywell Health Center 203-597-9044 South Main Street 203-756-8021 Phoenix Avenue Community Health Center 203-574-4000 Columbia Dental 1-866-645-0111 Statewide # for Opioid (Opiate) Dependence 1-800-563-4086 You will be linked with walk-in assessment centers

Juan, a member of MHC's Independence Center in Waterbury met with State Representative Geraldo Reyes Jr. to talk about preserving dollars for mental health services.

Rep. Reyes -- come visit the IC soon!

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The IC will be closed on April 5th!

Members, Matthew R. and David G. of the IC went to Hartford on March 16th to testify on the S.B. No. 406, an act concerning the department of mental health and addiction services, CVH and Whiting forensic hospital.

Juan worked at a flower farm for 16 years, he says that the experience taught him a lot.

Juan says that every day, every year, he learns more and more about gardening.

An IC staff member had the “letter to the editor” article published in the Rep-Am newspaper, here’s the article!

Last July Juan took out the seeds from a large green pepper. He let the seeds dry for seven days and then he planted them. There are currently 12 green pepper plants growing. Juan did the same with the seeds he got from a Green Pumpkin.

“Green Pumpkins come from Puerto Rico, South America,” he says, “you can boil them and eat them!”

Juan is also growing 28 tomatoes plants (two different kinds), 30 yellow squash plants (the seeds sprouted in 4 days), 22 cucumber plants, over 40 multicolor Dahlias, and 65 Geraniums. Juan started with Geranium cuttings and by the third week they had roots. After they have roots they are ready to be transplanted into a bigger pot. Juan says the most important thing is that the plants get a lot of sun, are watered correctly, and get the right amount of fertilizer.

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IC Artist, Jen F., has been working on developing Mending Art themes and sharing them with the Robinson House Artists.

This past season everyone began working in sketchbooks that they have personalized. The pages in these sketchbooks are unveiling a world of creativity!

Members of the IC have had the wonderful opportunity to participate in “Sharing our Stories with Fiona.” This writing group focused on words and descriptions about who we are. “I AM adventurous! I AM empowered! I AM capable!”

Participants then worked in groups to get to know one another better and come up with words that described each other. “You are cheerful! You are helpful! You are kind!” The final part of the workshop involved writing a poem together about how we are the same. “We are safe! We are creative! We are thoughtful!” Everyone left the writing workshop with new words to help express themselves, describe others, and understand how we are alike! Join us for Fiona’s next visit this summer!

Join us for a birthday bash on the 25th at 3:00 p.m.!

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Acts of Kindness this month will be focusing on our goals we wish to achieve! Join us on April 24th at 10am as peers and staff will get together and build a daisy with wishes written in the petals! With the wish planted our duty is to water it and give it plenty of sunshine to reach it by May!

It has been such a pleasure and honor for me to come to Waterbury and work with everyone at the Independence Center! I have loved doing the two writing groups I have done so far, and it was so great to get to hear everyone read their poems.

The Independence Center has some very talented writers indeed!

In our first group, we wrote “Getting-ToKnow-You” Acrostic poems, and each participant used the letters in their own name as an inspiration to write a short poem telling others a few important things they wanted people to know about them. Our second group wrote “I Remember” poems, based on an idea by the poet Joe Brainard. I Remember poems allow the writer to take a closer look at the important details of some of their most important life memories, such as experiences with important people in their lives, or important events or experiences in nature. Everyone wrote beautiful poems from their hearts about some of their important memories, and I think we all surprised each other with how much our memories had in common! I hope everybody has enjoyed getting to do some creative writing, and I look forward to the next time I can come visit! -- Adam Adam is an artist, poet, composer and certified Recovery Support Specialist who is also a trauma survivor. Creativity has been essential to him in his life as a healing tool, and it has become very important to him to find ways to use his creative expertise to facilitate healing for others. He has done this through working as a teaching artist, facilitating creative arts workshops in a variety of mental health settings in which he explores methods of mutual support through the creative act.

Adam has worked with organizations such as CMHC, GBCMHC,CRCMHC, Liberty Community Services, Advocacy Unlimited, and the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, to conduct these creative arts workshops.

Adam’s art has been included in exhibitions nationally, and he has published nineteen books of poetry as well as ten albums of his original music. He has also created several video documentaries around issues related to recovery, and was selected by the CT Office of the Arts to work with the National Park Service in representing Connecticut for the America Celebrates 2017 Project. Adam also received the Kasey Gaffney-Shea Award in 2017 for his work bringing the creative arts as a healing tool to people experiencing homelessness in the New Haven area.

He received a BA in Visual Art from Bard College at Simon’s Rock, as well as an MFA in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College. He has worked as a peer supporter since 2012, and has over 12 years of work experience in the human services field. Adam currently works for Toivo by Advocacy Unlimited as the Healing Through The Arts Coordinator, bringing the creative arts as a healing modality to individuals experiencing challenges to their mental health.

Dear friend Stand tall and proud Sink your roots deeply into the Earth Reflect the light of your true nature Think long term Go out on a limb Remember your place among all living beings Embrace with joy the changing seasons For each yields its own abundance The energy and birth of spring The growth and contentment of summer The wisdom to let go of leaves in the fall The rest and quiet renewal of winter Feel the wind and the sun And delight in their presence Look up at the moon that shines down upon you And the mystery of the stars at night Seek nourishment from the good things in life Simple pleasures Earth, fresh air, light Be content with your natural beauty Drink plenty of water Let your limbs sway and dance in the breezes Be flexible Remember your roots Enjoy the view!

On April 23rd join us at the IC at 1:30pm for our outdoor clean up for earth day!!

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Disclaimer: Articles which show “submitted by” are not written by an IC member.

They are articles that our members came across, were inspired by, and brought in to the Center to inspire and encourage other members.

Often the authors of these articles are unknown. The opinions expressed in the newsletter are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the Independence Center’s members, the staff, or the Editor.

Spring Fling at the I.C. Join us at the IC on April 13th as we have a Spring Fling Party from 1 to 3 p.m.!

There will be a FREE outreach lunch for members and a day filled with games and prizes!