My Sister, My Friend
By Linda Williams
My sister has fond memories of us as children. Simple things like hanging out on the playground at school, roller-skating around our neighborhood, and competing in gymnastics. She also recalls how artistic I was as a child, and still sees this as one of my best qualities. She says that I am creative in every way, and she notices all the time because she’s not artistic at all (though I’m sure she is). “I always call Linda if I want any creative ideas, especially when it comes to decorating my house!”
My sister, Lisa, loves that I am a great mom and aunt, caring for her son as my own child. She is also very grateful that I was able and willing to be there for my parents while in hospice. “Linda is very caring and will go out of her way to help others”. Lisa remembers when our mom was diagnosed with cancer and I quit college to take care of her. She was thankful for this, but also didn’t want me to forget to take care of myself. This is one of the reasons she is very happy that the San Antonio Clubhouse became a part of my life.
Lisa first heard about the Clubhouse from me after being released from my most recent hospitalization. One of the case workers there suggested the Clubhouse, but I was hesitant to go. My sister encouraged me to try it out, and I eventually took a tour. After becoming a member, I gave Lisa a tour. She appreciated that everyone was friendly and welcoming. She especially liked the different units and how the Clubhouse teaches working and social skills. After the tour, Lisa said she wished she knew about Clubhouse a long time ago. She’s very thankful I am a member, but it goes beyond that. My sister is a therapist working with children, and when her clients age out of the system they have nowhere to go. “I would’ve referred several clients to Clubhouse, and now I will be telling my friends in the mental health field about it seeing how well it has worked out for Linda.”
My sister realizes how much I’ve improved. She used to allow me come over all hours of the day or night due to my depression, isolation, panic and paranoia. She would talk to me on the phone for hours trying to calm me down. She also took me to the hospital numerous times. “Linda is much healthier and happier now. She stays busy and enjoys making friends while working at the Clubhouse. She has a lot of skills and now has a place to put them to use.” Lisa likes the uniqueness of the Clubhouse model; that members are volunteers that run the Clubhouse along with staff. “The Clubhouse is more personable, not like a hospital or other clinical setting. Those places try to stabilize you and then send you on your way. The Clubhouse teaches skills and independence, necessities to become confident and successful.” My sister says that her favorite thing about the Clubhouse is how it has enriched my life. She feels like she doesn’t have to worry so much about me anymore and we are closer as sisters and friends.
This has definitely improved our relationship. Lisa sees me as outgoing, fun, easy to get along with and overall content with life. She is actually seeing a happiness in me that has been missing for years. We now do more things together such as watching Spurs games, playing board games and trivia, going to the movies, and taking our kids out for a day of fun.
Lisa knows the Clubhouse is very important and she would never want it go away.” It is so helpful to my sister and I am grateful for it. I’ve seen it all first-hand, and being a member at Clubhouse has changed her life.”
Music Appreciation Day
By John Snead
John S. jamming at the San Antonio Clubhouse
I remember Linda Williams and I were thinking about bringing a guitar to the Clubhouse so we could all sing together, but it seemed like forever until we finally had a Music Appreciation Day at the Clubhouse. Our Executive Director, Mark Stoeltje, showed up bringing two guitars with him; he wanted to sing some wild Beatles songs. All the guitar players jammed a couple of songs by themselves, so we were ready to be ourselves and just sing together. Jen Cardenas started recording when we weren’t looking. Mark suggested an old song from the Great Depression called “You are My Sunshine.” I played their requests, and the memories started coming back. Linda Williams wanted another Beatles song. I played “Rocky Raccoon,” and members sang with me. Later, Bo Lyons showed a lot of skill playing electric guitar, with an instrumental tune. Then, he played “A Space Odyssey” by David Bowie while members and staff sang the words from the Business Unit sign-up screen. While I was going home with my guitar on the bus it seemed to me that this day had been worth the trouble, and that I would do it again when Linda and the others would put together another Music Day at the Clubhouse.
New Member Profile: Huei-Yi
By Nathan Tuttle
Huei-Yi was all smiles on her first day at the Clubhouse
Huei-Yi (pronounced WAY-EE) brought so much positive energy into the Clubhouse on her first day that none of us were surprised when she revealed that her name means “sunshine” in Mandarin Chinese. Why so happy? “The Clubhouse lets me know that I don’t have to be alone anymore. I felt like I was staring at four walls all day, and now I can have hope again,” Huei-Yi says. “I am excited to find new friends while helping others at the same time.”
She is certainly no stranger to helping others. In fact, helping people is undoubtedly Huei-Yi’s passion. While in a praise and worship band in West Virginia, Huei-Yi regularly helped feed the homeless in the area. “Sometimes we had as many as 100 people coming in to eat. I liked helping to feed people both physically and spiritually,” she says. Huei-Yi continues to be involved with her church here in San Antonio, too. As a part-time childcare nursery worker at Stone Oak Presbyterian Church, Huei-Yi plays with children during church service – coloring pictures with them, playing games with them, and comforting them when they cry. “I’m a big kid at heart,” says Huei-Yi, “so it’s perfect for me.”
When she’s not helping people through her church, Huei-Yi is spending time with her husband and her Jack Russell terrier named Randy who loves to chase squirrels. She has also been pursuing her associate’s degree in psychology online, and hopes to be a psychologist one day in order to help other people living with mental illness. Her favorite class so far has been “Abnormal Psychology” because she says that it opened her eyes to the fact that mental illness doesn’t have to define people and because it has taught her about herself in many ways.
Needless to say, Huei-Yi is a great asset to the Clubhouse. She plans on working in every unit and with as many members as possible. She also has some of the social activities on her radar – especially the next Music Appreciation Day. “I’ve played violin since age 7, guitar since age 12, and piano since age 5. Music Day will be right up my alley,” says Huei-Yi. If you see Huei-Yi around the Clubhouse take a moment to chat with her – she’s full of interesting talents, stories, dreams, and philosophies that make our Clubhouse all the better.
Transitional Employment Team Takes City by Storm
By Nathan Tuttle
Eli and Jennifer are part of a growing T.E. dream team
"I'm listening."
These were the first words out of one potential employer's mouth when Eli and Jennifer showed up with cookies in hand to talk about the Clubhouse Transitional Employment Program. "Cookies warm people's hearts!" says Jennifer Hurley, who has spent the past few months working with members to share Clubhouse talent with local employers.
A transitional employment position (or T.E.) is a six- to nine-month part-time, entry-level position at a local business that Clubhouse members rotate in and out of. For members looking for a first job or hoping to re-join the workforce after a long hiatus, a T.E. is the ideal opportunity. The Clubhouse owns the 15-20 hours-per-week position with the company and chooses which members would fit well with which employer. Additionally, a Clubhouse staff member will be trained on the job first so that he or she can then train a member at their own pace. To sweeten the deal even more, if there is an emergency and a member cannot get to their T.E. one day, the job coach will fill in for the member.
It's a win-win for employers, too. Employers get a hard-working part-time employee, guaranteed 100% absentee coverage, they do not have to spend time or money on the hiring and training processes, they do not have to provide benefits, and they can be sure that there will be no vacancy in the position between employees. In some cases, T.E. opportunities have even turned into full-time positions - employers simply don't want to see their Clubhouse employee go.
Jennifer and the members she works with present all of this information and more to the businesses they visit with. Employers get a professional packet of information complete with presentation slides, a letter from the Clubhouse explaining T.E., a brochure, testimonials of the program from businesses like Auntie Anne's Pretzel Shop and Mad Dogs British Pub, and a list of nationally recognized companies that participate in T.E. programs with other Clubhouses.
After putting in long hours to get the packet finished, the T.E. team finally went "sneakers to pavement," Jennifer says. Most days Jennifer is joined by Eli, a member who has found a passion for T.E. development from his first days at Clubhouse. Jennifer gave Eli his tour of the Clubhouse, and quickly realized that his skill set was perfect for the T.E. development team.
"Eli is great at correcting grammatical errors, which I tend to make frequently," Jennifer says, "and he's great with computers." Together, Eli and Jennifer go door-to-door (with cookies, of course!) and quickly pitch the Clubhouse to employers located near the Clubhouse. Their team is growing, though, and members like Linda F. have also begun to travel around town sharing the good news of the Clubhouse T.E. program.
This week they received word that their hard work has paid off: they have officially secured a T.E. position with Boysville Thrift Store. The position is a customer-facing position that involves helping customers find an item, helping customers to the dressing room, cleaning the dressing room, carrying items to customers' cars, keeping the store neat, and acting as a back-up cashier.
Although the T.E. team celebrates their first success, they are also looking ahead for even more opportunities. So what can you do to help? "It's all about the circle of influence," says Jennifer, "everybody knows somebody working somewhere or knows a place that is hiring. Let us know and we will be there to give the presentation...with cookies."
I'm listening.
