President’s Message for November 2024
Connections in our Community
We love connecting with community organizations, especially, not surprisingly, those involved in mental health support efforts. Our scarecrow contest touches many such groups, and this year we welcomed a new one to the contest, Depression Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) of Boston. They are a long established organization and a strong participant in our annual NAMI Walks event, so not new to us, but we want to recognize their effort this year on the scarecrow contest. A DBSA member, who is a working artist, offered up her studio space in Somerville for multiple Sunday afternoons to welcome DBSA members for scarecrow building sessions. Other mental health organizations like the area DMH Clubhouses, the Opportunities day program, and Active Minds from Acton Boxborough Regional High School also submitted top notch entries most likely executed by a group effort. Thanks to all participants for being part of our community mission and for bringing people together to stand up to stigma.
Here is Rachel Freudenburg with “Boo Hoo Billy,” who was created by the Depression Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) of Boston. Yes, those are empty prescription pill bottles.
Walk Check Delivery
We also spent time at the clubhouses delivering our NAMI Walks checks. For organizations that participate in NAMI Walks under the Central Middlesex umbrella we share back some of the funds. It is a win for NAMI Massachusetts who gets a portion of the funds raised, a win for our affiliate, and a win for our Walk partners. Tom Scurfield rallies the clubhouses for the annual event and gets to deliver the BIG CHECKS. If this looks like fun to you, please consider helping out with our Walk event next spring. Reach out to Tom at garlandhome@comcast.net about that opportunity. Sorry, we don’t have a photo of our friends from Elm Brook Place who also received a check.
Cole Resource Center Job Opening
Another mental health support organization in the neighborhood is the Cole Resource Center, coleresourcecenter.org/workforce-program. They operate the Workforce Program which offers coaching and community support to those living with mental health challenges as they find their next career steps and pursue their life goals. They are hiring a part time Workforce Program Specialist to provide direct services to individuals living in recovery with a mental health condition seeking employment opportunities. The full job description, with instructions on how to apply, is available here.
Affiliate Board Nominations
In January at our affiliate’s Annual Meeting we will vote to accept a slate of board members for 2025. Most of those names will be repeats with a decade plus of service to community mental health. They are dedicated, impressive people who have a deep understanding of how mental health conditions and navigating the behavioral healthcare system affect individuals and families. They also have a strong willingness to help others and are a joy to work with.
In order to keep pace with all we do, we could use a few new names on that slate. Prospective board members need not have a preconceived notion of just what they might want to achieve, a desire to lend a hand is all that is asked. We meet once per month via Zoom. Our website highlights our many programs and outreach efforts. Our volunteer page outlines roles under the direction of the board: namicentralmiddlesex.org/volunteer. Please take a look and consider jumping in to help us continue making mental health connections in our local community.