BY: SARAH KADISH

Letter from a Member

Hudson Valley Clubhouse has given a purpose to my day when mental illness over several decades took from me the promise of "going somewhere someday". Now on most days I walk to a charming Victorian house at 98 Cannon Street in Poughkeepsie, New York. Looking for like-minded people who would understand how mental illness has made it hard for me to work, go to school, make friends, and thrive socially, I found support at Hudson Valley Clubhouse. I am joined by other adults who live with serious mental illness. We are individuals with diagnoses who seek dignity for what we strive to contribute to our communities and beyond. A small staff of social work professionals helps us make goals toward a purpose, whether that is employment, education, social engagement, or community initiative. I took off running toward my personal best on my first day as a member. I set up computers with technical know-how. I am writing for our newsletter. I designed a logo for our brochure. I relied on strength to do something that the clubhouse needed to run, which is promotion. My peers gave me input and helped. Now I am helping other members and making good friends. As we collaborate with them, staff guide us with feedback and insight to grow. I hope to find out where I am going with my future. But for now, I have stopped for coffee and at Hudson Valley Clubhouse.

Advocacy in Action

Blaise Sackett, our Executive Director, introduced Hudson Valley Clubhouse on March 5th at the 27th Annual Legislative Day held by Alliance for Rights and Recovery, formerly New York Association for Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services. With an inspiring presentation on the clubhouse model, Blaise spoke out for the clubhouse cause with a shout out for how needed we are across upstate New York. State officials, legislators and agency leaders who support mental health initiatives, summarized the current state of mental health policy while advocating for transformation beyond what we have seen. We celebrated our successes, honored members of our communities and spoke about new initiatives across New York State. Individual meetings with legislators followed lunch where we had a chance to reconnect with colleagues and share with fellow community members. The rainy weather disappointed us because we did not get the opportunity to gather on the Capital steps to hang out with the lobbyists A long line of nurses impeded us on the way to the security checkpoint into the legislative office wing, so some of us missed our exact appointments to speak with the “important” folks. The message seems is that we were not important. But it is actually the opposite. Gathering in the auditorium and hearing Blaise speak about Hudson Valley Clubhouse made us shine in the rain.

Work Ordered Wisdom

Our "the work-ordered day" mirrors a real-world workplace where people learn to get along while doing activities for a purpose. Every morning members and staff meet to plan the day's tasks. Our projects are grouped into Units. Our Home and Garden Unit covers group meal planning and lunch prep, cleaning and organizing chores to keep our space orderly and ready for projects, meetings, visitors, and community events. Our Business and Media Unit covers clerical work to keep member records, writing projects for a newsletter to promote our organization, a literary magazine to highlight member artwork and creative writing. We do advocacy work and reach out to community agencies and government for publicity and fundraising. We plan special events, field trips, creative and social activities. Our members are learning computer skills, researching local schools, and training programs. The work-ordered day over time helps members reach a social, vocational, or educational goal in the wider community. My peers and I may live with a diagnosis that stigmatizes us, but during our work-ordered day we emerge as self-confident individuals who make decisions. Our input and ideas are encouraged and valued by staff who consider us partners in this forward-moving venture. We gain confidence we can take into the community.