December Newsletter 2017

198

Wellspring Administrative Center 225 W. Breckinridge Street Telephone: (502) 637-4361 Fax: (502) 637-4490

www.wellspringky.org Officers and Directors

Dawn Croft, Chair Alan MacDonald, Vice Chair Steve Kerrick, Treasurer Meredith Brown, Secretary Rolandas Byrd Paul Coomes Rif El-Mallakh, M.D. Rich Freeman Gregory E. Mayes, Jr. Cissy Mills Margaret Pennington George W. Rapp, Jr. Carrie Schanie Curtiss Scott John “Jack” Trawick Elmore A. “Ack” Willets, III Jefferey M. Yussman

Honorary Lifetime Members

Nancy B. Bell (1923 - 2016) Bernard F. Block Barry Bingham, Sr. (1906 - 1988) Roberta Fischer Rev. Richard H. Humke Clifford C. Kuhn, M.D. Malcolm R. Mathews, Jr. (1922 - 2013) Cornelia A. Serpell (1917 - 2011) Jackie Swigart, Ph.D. Bosworth M. Todd, Jr.

Founding Board Chair

Philip P. Ardery (1914 - 2012)

Management Team

Katharine R. Dobbins, LCSW Chief Executive Officer kathy.dobbins@wellspringky.org

235 YE AR S

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Louisville, KY Permit No. 1105

P.O. Box 1927 Louisville, KY 40201-1927

www.wellspringky.org

Room to Breathe

Our Mission: Wellspring promotes mental health recovery and supports individuals

in building healthy and hopeful lives through behavioral health, housing and employment services.

A Holiday Celebration to Remember A hearty Thank You and huge Yee Haw are in order for the Texas Roadhouse Legal Department!! They catered our client Holiday Party, made table decorations, provided gifts and even brought Andy the Armadillo, all decked out for the holidays! The house was packed, the food was delicious, and the warmth was flowing! Clients and staff played social bingo, braved the Cake Walk, and noshed on sumptuous fare while Peer Suport Specialist Charlie Merrill played holiday tunes on his guitar. Santa and Andy enjoyed distributing gifts to clients. Special thanks as well to the 4th Avenue Untied Methodist Church for lending us their beautiful sanctuary for the occasion!

T. Patrick Rhodes, LCSW Director of Programs patrick.rhodes@wellspringky.org

We are so excited to be getting new office space! Thanks to a few outstanding donors, we have acquired new space for our direct service staff. Over the years, we have grown our budget and increased our services and put the revenues right back into the programs. For more than twenty-five of those years, we crammed our administrative, finance, development and some progam staff into a carriage house behind our first supportive housing program, Ardery House.

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Read & Share - Go to: www.wellspringky.org December 2017

Applause Please! Our Annual Awards Bill Friel was honored as Wellspring’s Volunteer of the Year.

As a commercial realtor and long-time Wellspring board member and current housing commitee member, Bill has served an essential “behind the scenes” role as our agent in the sale of a donated property and of the former Journey Meredith Brown was honored as our Philanthropist of the Year. Beyond being a leader in every fund drive the agency undertakes, Meredith gives generously of her time – and from her heart. But financial gifts and committee work just don’t satisfy Meredith’s soul.

Curt Scott accepted the Corporate Philanthropist of the Year award for Todd Asset Management (TAM). Their gift was in honor of Bos Todd, one of Wellspring’s founders and most stalwart supporters.

Bernie Block was presented with the inaugural Transformation award for his amazing advocacy and his generous support of the work of Wellspring.

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Home for the Holidays

Marsha Wilson Quality Improvement Director marsha.wilson@wellspringky.org

“I’m excited about just accomplishing another goal. Five years ago I couldn’t have imagined where I am today...being employed again, having a purpose. Owning a house again is a real humbling thing for me,” Cliff, a Wellspring Peer Support Specialist, is about to become a home-owner again. He and Midnight, his fur baby, are anxiously awaiting their new-to-them home, which is in the finishing stages of a complete overhaul thanks to the Louisville Metro Housing Authority’s (LMHA) Home Ownership Program and River City Housing.

Cliff has had a long and sometimes choppy road to recovery. He has been homeless, hospitalized, and struggled with substance use issues, but he has transformed his life. He’s been peer support since 2015, and has been living in Wellspring’s Affordable Housing.

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www.wellspringky.org

crisis stabilization services | supportive housing | case management services | outpatient services | supported employment 12/21/2017 5:11:18 PM

Home continued

New Program Aboard

In order to qualify for his new home, Cliff had to have a solid history of employment and paying rent. He also attended classes on credit repair, house shopping and understanding how to apply for financing - all through the Louisville Urban League.

Once homeless, he is now watching the renovation of his new home and dreaming of the things he can do in it - mainly cooking! He said he may cook bar-b-que first. He already knows the lady next door and they talk recipes. He’s anticipating trading food with her. He’ll certainly pack his smoker grill, which anyone in Wellspring can tell you produces the best smoked turkeys we’ve ever had for Thanksgiving!

CABHI is a new program for Wellspring that will provide case management and outreach services to individuals experiencing chronic homelessness and severe mental illness or co-occurring mental illness and substance use. The Kentucky Department for Behvioral Health invited Wellspring to participate in a state-wide federal SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) grant called CABHI, which stands for Cooperative Agreements Benefitting Homeless Individuals.

Program participants will gain housing and receive supportive services to ensure their success. The program seeks to engage and house 25 individuals durring fiscal year 2018. The CABHI team will consist of both Case Managers and Peer Specialists.

Cliff and Midnight hope to move into their new home this month. Anytime Cliff runs into someone these days, he tells them about the latest improvements to his house. His excitement is palpable. “The house is brand-new you know, and I’m grateful for the support of Wellspring. Even if I don’t think it’s big, Wellspring thinks it’s big. If I can do it, anybody can do it - change their life, you know?”

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Thanks and Thanksgiving

Bill - house, the latter of which could no longer be used by Wellspring due to shifting program requirements. In each case, Bill waived his normal agency fee and, through the timely sale of both properties, provided Wellspring with an infusion of cash necessary to fund core services. Most recently, Bill represented Wellspring in the search for office space to replace otherwise overcrowded facilities scattered among other locations. Bill’s generous and diligent service on Wellspring’s behalf will directly enable us to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our services to our residents, clients and community.

The Third Lutheran Church hosted Wellspring clients and staff for Thanksgiving. They host us every year and we can't say enough how much it means to all of us! They make sure our clients have a delicious Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings and in such a warm, welcoming atmosphere!

As Kathy Dobbins says, “To be able to help people come together to experience Thanksgiving is a pretty wonderful feeling.” Wellspring looks forward to our Thanksgiving together all year. It is the favorite event of many clients and staff! Thank you Third Lutheran!

Meredith - It’s the other ways she leaves her mark that matter most to her. From organizing knitting classes for Journey Program participants, to helping with the annual Home Goods Sale, and even rooting and potting plants from her own garden as house warming gifts for clients moving into their own apartments, Meredith jumps in whenever she sees a need. Sacrificial, humanitarian giving is the mark of a true philanthropist – and describes Meredith Brown’s caring commitment in every respect.

Curt - Bob Bordogna was also a partner with TAM and a former board member. Curt, managing partner for Todd Asset has been a member of the Wellspring Board since 2016 and also serves on our finance committee. We are grateful for Curt and the strong history between Wellspring and Todd Asset Management.

Bernie - He raised funds to get the David J. Block Crisis Stabilization Unit off the ground and has made a pledge to enable us to equip and furnish our new offices. Bernie is an Honorary Board member. The David J. Block CSU has already served more than 2,000 adults in psychiatric crisis.

Wellspring changed my entire life’s story...

“Started drinking when I was 15 - right after my mother went out for groceries and never came back,” Marissa begins. “It was three years before I saw her again.”

“I got a diagnosis of depression at about 22. Kept drinking, just to escape the emptiness inside.” She suffered years of fruitless rehab attempts, the agony of an abusive relationship, and anguished over losing custody of her children.

“I’d get sober, but still feel so empty...there just wasn’t any happiness - no joy,” she shares. “Once I got an apartment and I so hoped I’d make it last...”

But after a violent sexual assault, Marisa never went back to that apartment again. “I just stayed homeless. Learned the shelter system and the homeless camps,” Marisa says.

Finally some brightness came when Marisa got a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and connected with Wellspring’s Journey Program.

They helped Marisa find an apartment where she finally feels safe. With a lot of therapy and support she’s dealt with her painful past and learned coping skills she uses every day.

“And the Peer Support helps more than I can say,” she says.

“It’s a blessing to feel hope and trust once again. To pay it back, I visit the homeless camps so I can show folks that recovery is real.”

Now, through Wellspring Works, Marisa’s getting her CNA license renewed so she can get back to the career she always planned on - and start building her future.

Room continued

“It’s going to be a good one!” she beams. “My children are back in my life - and there’s a fellow in the picture too.

Maybe there’ll be a wedding when the time’s right. Sure never thought I’d say that again!”

In 2010, we had more than 13 people operating out of a less than 2,000 square foot building. That year, we moved the administrative, finance, and development staff out of the cariage house to our current offices on West Breckinridge Street but before long, we had over-filled the carriage house once again with our direct service staff. Soon we were renting space across the street for a handfull of staff members, co-locating others within another non-profit, and equiping some of our mobile staff with laptops and cell phones and no office. This was not ideal but we made do and managed to maintain our e’spirit des corps despite the challenges while consistently providing quality services with excellent client outcomes.

Sweet Dreams are Made of This Huge thanks to UPS Technical Publications Department for the mountain of pillows and pillow covers for our Crisis Stabilization Program! Shout out to the Jeffersontown Ladies Textile Club for making the pillow cases! Our clients are sure to feel at home and cozy!

This fall, we identified potential office space that would enable us to bring our case managers, peer specialists, housing services, and outpatient therapy providers under one roof. With the help of an anonymous matching gift of $5000, we began seeking contributions in earnest. Several donations came in and then Bernie Block came calling. Bernie has made a seriously generous donation through the David J. Block Foundation that will enable us to furnish and equip the building so that it will be functional and attractive for our clients as well as the 31 staff members who will be housed there. The new building which will be named in Bernie's honor is conveniently located right around the block from our administrative center. We are more than excited and beyond indebted to Bernie. Our new building gives us a functional base to help our clients with mental illness to find recovery. Many thanks to Bernie and all of our donors who have helped this dream come true!

Marisa’s journey has been long and arduous, and we love sharing her success with you! Wellspring will support hundreds of others in their journeys to recovery in the coming year. Will you join us, please? We really cannot do it alone!

Photo courtesy of John Nation

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To make a gift: visit our website at www.wellspringky.org - OR - write a check and mail it to Wellspring, PO Box 1927, Louisville, KY 40201 - OR - call 502-753-1457 and let us help you make a donation via credit card.

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