Fellowship Place helps the Dwight Central Management Team celebrate 20 years of Community Building

On Saturday, June 16th, Fellowship Place participated in the Dwight Central Management Team’s (DCMT) 20th Annual Community Family Festival. To help mark the special anniversary during the festival, Fellowship Place staff hosted a mural table where children in the community, along with their parents, were able to contribute their own very special works of art. As a community-building tool, the mural project was a resounding success with over 50 individuals, children and parents, contributing to the nearly 15 foot long piece. The children worked side by side in creating their own personal tributes as part of the whole, so engaged in their work and connected with the other children contributing alongside them, many stopped only for lunch and then returned to complete their pieces. The finished mural will hang in the DCMT’s office at Amistad Academy.

DCMT hosts the annual festival to bring together and honor the diverse members of our community. This year’s event, hailed as a huge success, included involvement from local community partners such as Yale New Haven Hospital, Hospital of St. Raphael, Stop & Shop, The Connection Inc., and Fellowship Place.

Young Adult Program Sparks Community Interest

To meet the needs of a growing number of young adults coming through our doors, in March 2010 Fellowship Place utilized private funding support to develop specialized services for adults, ages 18-25 who suffer from mental illness. This program helps young people connect with their peers and engage in positive activities. They are encouraged to assess their interests and plan for their futures, through building healthy relationships, developing life skills, & exploring the community. The group meets 4 days a week. Weekly programs vary and are planned by the young adults and a Staff Facilitator. The Calendar includes dinner, pool, ping-pong, trips to the mall, museum, library and zoo, grocery shopping and healthy cooking lessons, pizza in the park, an HIV educational presentation, peer group discussions, and holiday themed events.

The successful implementation and popularity of the program has sparked further interest from the community, resulting in a collaboration with Community Services Network in New Haven to establish a Young Adult Services work group, co-chaired by Fellowship Place’s Executive Director and Carolyn O’Keefe, from the Connecticut Mental Health Center. This group is working on the development of training for professionals working with young adults and identifying the most effective ways of engaging the population.

Smoking Cessation Program

Fellowship Place has partnered with Communicare, Inc. to offer smoking cessation services. The program is designed to focus on key issues related to smoking, such as health and wellness and financial issues. The program offers two levels of support, Kicking Butts for those who are ready to quit and Learning about Healthy Living for those who might not yet be ready to change their tobacco usage, but may have some interest in learning more about tobacco use, how it affects them, and ways they can lead a healthier life.

Program participants are eligible to receive smoking reduction resources such as over the counter drugs & prescribed aids at little or no cost. The agency is proud of the program’s first year results: 33 individuals participated in a quitters group, of this group, 12 people reduced smoking and 5 stopped smoking. This program is funded by the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

State Bond Commission Approves Release of Bond Funds

On February 24, 2011, the State Bond Commission approved the release of $1 million in bond funds for the renovation of Fellowship’s main program building. Groundbreaking will commence in summer 2011. Construction is expected to take approximately 6 months. During renovations, all programs will continue to operate from temporary quarters located at 48 Howe Street in New Haven.

Finalist for Citizens Service Before Self Award

In April 2011 Fellowship Place founder Phyllis McDowell was selected as one of 20 finalists for the Citizens Service Before Self Award, for her efforts to develop a social program for people with serious mental illness that eventually evolved into Fellowship Place, an agency that provides a broad range of support and rehabilitation services, including housing, vocational services, case management, and counseling to adults recovering from mental illness. Citizen Service Before Self Honors are given out by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, to individuals who have demonstrated courage and selfless service in their civilian lives, a nominee’s actions must epitomize the concept of “service before self and must be performed “above and beyond” one’s professional area of responsibility or conduct. Hundreds of nominations were received from all over the country. McDowell has devoted her life to the organization which today, in its 50th year of existence, serves more than 600 individuals per year. McDowell continues to be an inspiration and a credit to the state of Connecticut and to her fellow Americans.

8th Annual Dr. Albert J. Solnit Memorial Lecture: a discussion with Author Randye Kaye

On Thursday, June 9, 2011 Fellowship Place hosted our 8th annual Annual Dr. Albert J. Solnit Memorial Lecture: a discussion with Author Randye Kaye. Ms. Kaye’s book “Ben behind his voices: one family’s journey from the chaos of schizophrenia to hope”, will be published by Rowman and Littlefield in September 2011.

Held at the Whitney Humanities Center at Yale, over 50 people braved the stormy weather that evening to hear Randye share her experiences with her son who suffers from schizophrenia, how mental Illness affects the whole family and how they helped guide him on his recovery journey as he went from 7 hospitalizations to now 4 semesters on the Deans List at his school. Following the Author’s presentation, Fellowship hosted a panel discussion with the audience and a coffee reception. The Panel included:

  • Daniel M. Koenigsberg, MD, Former Chairman, Dept. of Psychiatry, Hospital of St. Raphael, Associate Clinical Professor, Yale Medical School
  • Selby Jacobs MD, MPH, Former Medical Director, CT Mental Health Center, Professor of Psychiatry, Yale Medical School
  • Allan Atherton: Treasurer, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Elm City, Past President NAMI/CT, Co-Coordinator, NAMI CT Sharing Hope Initiative
  • Randye Kaye, Author: “Ben behind his voices: one family’s journey from the chaos of schizophrenia to hope”, NAMI Family-to-Family educator, Radio broadcaster: NPR