Mental Health Welcome Resource Center Celebrates 5th Anniversary
The Mental Health Welcome Resource Center at the corner of Tibruce and Vernon Streets today celebrated its fifth anniversary, having opened its doors in July of 2013. The facility currently provides food and clothing among other diagnostic and referral services to some forty-five persons with mental health conditions. To commemorate the anniversary, participants were treated to a day of fun activities including bingo and karaoke. Coordinator Joyce Ellis told News Five about the challenges at the institution and how you can help them continue its work.
Joyce Ellis
Joyce Ellis, Coordinator, Mental Health Welcome Resource Center
“Today is not so much for the workers and staff, but the participants because of them coming here is why our doors are open. So it is a celebration for our participants and just to sensitize the media that we are here and our doors are open, but we are still in need of assistance.”
Duane Moody
“Talk to us about the activities for the participants.”
Joyce Ellis
“Earlier today, we had a brief ceremony with our invited guests and prospective donors and donors. Now the session this afternoon will be all about our participants. They will be playing bingo; we will be doing karaoke and yes we play bingo and we play all the patterns that you could ever think about. And believe you me, our participants understand all the patterns.”
Duane Moody
“So what is the misconception about mental health patients or persons?”
Joyce Ellis
“People often think that because you are mentally ill, you are violent or you are a bother to people, but it is not that way at all. Mental illness is somewhat like any other illness that if you take your medication, you can become functional. While we have some others that don’t comply with medication, but the thing is that someone has to be there to support them. The donation isn’t coming in as regular or the way we want it to, but it’s coming in and it helps to keep our doors open. But many days it is a struggle for us.”
Duane Moody
“So who can help?”
Joyce Ellis
“Who can help? Anybody can help. It doesn’t mean that you are giving financial donation. You could decide that Monday you are going to prepare the meal for the participants. You can either cook it and bring it and we’ll serve it or you could buy the ingredients and the cook cooks it. So if you don’t want to give cash, you could give in kind.”
