A special thank you to the Dwight Central Management Team for a wonderful summer afternoon at the annual neighborhood festival on June 2. Great food, music, information, and, most of all, friendship. Fellowship Place is proud to be an active member of the Dwight community.
| Fellowship Place has been awarded a $2,500 grant from the Petit Family Foundation to purchase art supplies for the agency’s Expressive Arts program. | |
 Pictured left to right: William Petit, Sr. – Vice President and Board of Director, Barbara Petit, Melissa Holroyd, Development Director at Fellowship Place, Hanna Petit Chapman – Grant Committee Member and Board of Director, Dr. William Petit, Jr. – President. |
“Fellowship Place is very grateful for this support from the Petit Family Foundation,” says Executive Director, Mary A. Guerrera, “we are honored to be chosen as a 2018 award recipient. The Expressive Arts program at Fellowship Place, which includes visual arts, writing, and music groups, are used to help program participants express their creativity, build self-confidence, and develop coping skills. This funding is especially critical this year because the agency has experienced state budget cuts that threaten vital services for adults living with a serious mental illness.”
The Petit Family Foundation honors the memories of Jennifer Hawke-Petit, Hayley Elizabeth Petit and Michaela Rose Petit by continuing the kindness, idealism and activism that defined their lives. The Foundation’s funds are given to foster the education of young people, especially women in the sciences; to improve the lives of those affected by chronic illnesses; and to support efforts to protect and help those affected by violence. |
| In its 58th year of service, Fellowship Place serves over 750 people who are living with a serious mental illness. Nearly all face poverty, inadequate housing, unemployment, and poor physical health. Almost half have been homeless at least once in their lives. Open 365 days a year, Fellowship Place’s campus is a multi-purpose, one stop center where clients receive counseling & case management services to help them learn and practice social skills and other daily living skills that will help them increase their independence. Services include help with basic needs, meals, socialization, skill-building groups, job training & career development services, expressive arts programs, computer classes, and physical recreation. The agency also provides supportive housing for 45 individuals who live in apartment buildings located on and near the main campus. Fellowship Place is committed to helping the mentally ill, their families, and the public realize that with proper treatment and support, people with a mental illness can be successful and contribute to the vibrancy of our community.
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A very special thank you to Walker Vreeland for his memorable performance of “From Ship to Shape” on May 9th on Fellowship Place’s New Haven campus. Over 120 people attended the performance, including members of the general public, parents of mental health consumers, professionals in the mental health field, Fellowship Place clients, and members of the Fellowship Place Board of Directors. The evening included a pre-performance art exhibit and sale by the agency’s clients.
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Left to Right: Fellowship Place Executive Director Mary A. Guerrera, Walker Vreeland, and Fellowship Place Board President Pat Luddy. |
Walker Vreeland performing his CT premiere of “From Ship to Shape”. |
Frank E Douglass is very actively involved with the Dwight Central Management Team hosting 4 youth festivals annually held in the Dwight, Edgewood and West River neighborhoods. Father of 4 children and 7 grandchildren and host of others who recognize him as Pop Pop. New Haven born, raised and educated at Winchester school, St. Martin de Porres, Wilbur Cross High School and Hill House High School. Alder of the 2nd Ward, has served on the New Haven Board of Alders for four (4) terms as Chair of Community Development and a member of the Legislation, Tax Abatement Committee and Black & Hispanic Caucus. Alder Douglass has serves at the Knights of St. Peter Claver Council #266 (Catholic Fraternity) since 1981 and is currently serving as a Faithful Navigator. He has also played a big role in establishing the Gospel Chorus in the early days of the Knights of St. Peter Clavier Council #266.
Representative Patricia Dillon is a Deputy Majority Whip at Large of the Connecticut House of Representatives and serves on the Appropriations, Environment and Judiciary committees. Before coming to the General Assembly, Pat served on New Haven’s Board of Aldermen and was a co-founder and director of New Haven’s battered women’s shelter. As a state legislator, Pat shaped much of Connecticut’s AIDS policy, family violence policy, injury prevention policy, school based health centers, addiction and mental health policy, and has been a consistent advocate for the disabled. She has been honored for setting up the first WIC produce nutrition program, authored legislation to identify injury in our emergency rooms, and established an initiative for the behavioral health needs of returning National Guard and reserve families. Pat is a strong advocate for our quality of life, sponsoring legislation for funds to upgrade the Shubert Theater, Neighborhood Music School, and musical performances at Davis School, as well as historic preservation. She is currently working on an ongoing project to help homeowners whose homes were sinking or damaged. Pat graduated from Marymount College, Ohio State University, and Yale School of Epidemiology and Public Health, where her thesis on AIDS was published. Pat and her husband, Dr. Jack Hughes, live in New Haven.