January 2017
Support
Education
Advocacy
Research
The Hope Center is proud to announce our newly elected
Advisory Council for 2017. Every year the peers at the Hope
Center cast a vote for seven individuals who they think will
fairly and faithfully serve the Hope Center. Elections were held
in December and new positions were voted on in the
beginning of January.
We look forward to a great year in 2017!
Jessie M-Chairman
Sarah D-Vice Chair
Janet P-Member
J.R.-Member
Joyce H.-Secretary
Jared K-Treasurer
Josh W.-Member
NAMI Southwest Missouri and Hope Center
1443 N. Robberson, Suite 408,Springfield, MO 65802
Office : 417-864-7119 - Hope Center: 417-864-3027 - Warm Line: 417-864-3676
www.namiswmo.com
Story of Impact
by Carrol Lund
Parents want happy, productive lives for their children. That was our dream for all four of
ours. It looked as though our family was on that road. Fourth child Chris (now 36 years
old), an artistic and clever video-creating son, had a scholarship to start Missouri State
University. After a year, the wheels fell off. At first my husband and I thought we were
dealing with alcohol or drug abuse. It became clear Chris was experiencing something
more: fantastical delusions, hallucinations, flat-line emotions. After a long quest for help, we found a psychiatrist and a
diagnosis: adult onset schizophrenia. Antipsychotic medication was started. Chris was non-compliant. So a bi-weekly
shot was tried.
Chris lived with us but stopped his meds. Chris’s older brother had to physically overpower him in the yard for us to get
him to the doctors office for a shot. Even arriving at the location, Chris took off with brother on his heels. Our first interaction with police was that night. Two grown men running through busy traffic patterns near Campbell and Republic
roads in Springfield attracted attention. The policeman was able to detain Chris so that we could get him to the doctor’s
office for the overdue medication. The real face of mental illness hit me that night as Chris’s older brother looked at me
with tears in his eyes. Mental illness affects the whole family.
The learning curve for trying to understand mental illness is steep. NAMI’s information, education and support groups
help make it climbable. If I ever thought about schizophrenia before, it was to focus on the delusions or hallucinations.
Those “positive” symptoms are not the worst—they’re an alternative reality for our son. I’ve learned through NAMI that
embracing humor is healthy. When he thinks he was married to someone with whom he was twinned in the womb, when
he thinks he has died and now lives in the book of life, when he thinks Jack and I are not his real parents, it is his reality.
And it is kind of funny. His psychiatrist explained it as playing tennis with 50 balls coming at you and no way to determine which is the “real” target.
The loss of cognitive skills is in my opinion the worst. We’ve been his guardian since 2005. At the time he retained voting and driving rights. When he gave his car to a stranger at Kum-n-Go because she asked for it, we took the car privilege
away. This was our second interaction with the police. They had Chris wait by the side of the road as we retrieved him
and the car at midnight. The woman to whom he had given it and who was driving had a warrant out for her arrest for prior problems. Money or it’s value means nothing. He sold his guitar for two sodas. Chris is the poster child for mental illness: far from being dangerous, he is a victim taken advantage of by anyone.
The illness became worse. He became a danger with bonfires in the backyard and pizza prepared on plastic trays starting
fires in the house. With help from the police as Chris ran away, we were able to hospitalize him in 2014. He has been in a
locked facility ever since. His first facility in Sedalia organized a monthly trip to Walmart. Chris ran away on his first and
only outing and the Sedalia police helped run after and track him down. I am so proud to serve on the family panel for
Springfield Police Department Crisis Intervention Training. I always preface my comments with the hope that the officers
are “fleet of foot.”
Early Diagnosis and treatment does work. Currently our son needs full supervision, but many diagnosed with severe
mental illness are able to live productive lives. I now volunteer as a NAMI family support group facilitator. We will
never give up hope.
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A letter from the new Hope Center Director,
My name is Addie Blankenship and I am the Director
of the Hope Center. We are so honored you are here! The
Hope Center wishes to improve the lives of those affected
by mental illness through support, education and advocacy. We also strive to establish a culture of understanding,
encouragement and community for every individual who
walks through our doors.
I want to share what services are available here at the Hope Center:
Support Groups: We offer over 30 different support groups led by peers. Included are groups about journaling, music, recovery, and mindfulness. We also offer groups specifically tailored for those who are in recovery with bipolar, depression, anxiety, PTSD and more!
The Warm Line: The Hope Center is proud to house the Peer Supported
Warm Line, where individuals may call if they find themselves in need of an
understanding voice.
Peer Specialists: The Hope Center offers free Peer Specialist appointments. A
Peer Specialist is a trained individual who also has been affected by a mental
health diagnosis. They can assist you with goal setting, planning and be a support person if you desire one-on-one support.
Volunteer Opportunities: The Hope Center is not only a place for you to visit,
but is also a place for you to grow. We have many volunteer opportunities
and we believe every person has gifts to share! The Hope Center welcomes
everyone who wishes to give back to submit a volunteer application and talk
with me about your talents!
I look forward to having you experience the culture of the Hope Center
and become part of our community! My door is always open, and I welcome
each and every peer to come to me with any questions, concerns or ideas.
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THANK YOU TO
OUR RECENT
DONORS
NAMI SWMO
Hope Center
Calendar of Events
and
Other Activities
Einstein Bagels
Brenda Moore
Beverly Rohlf
John Horner
Ted Dalton
Roberta & Bernard
Brownell
Kathleen Green
Wilda Rosse in honor of
Allan DeWoody
Harry & Susan Hom
Allen & Lori Inman
Associated Electric
Cooperative
Community
Foundation of the Ozarks
in honor of
Bonnie Watkins
Jerry & Leslie
Fankhauser in memory of
David Eastwood
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All activities are held at the Hope Center
unless otherwise noted.
February 14,2017
Advisory Council meeting 2:45
February 17, 2017
Workshop of the Week
Love Yourself painting workshop
February 18,2017
KGBX Women's Show
February 21,2017
Town Hall Meeting 2:30
February 23,2017
Board Meeting 4:30
Mercy Marian Center
February 24,2017
Karaoke Party 3:00
February 28, 2017
Warm Line responder meeting
March 7,2017
Advisory Group meeting 2:45
March 14, 2017
Advisory Council meeting 2:45
March 21,2017
Town Hall Meeting 2:30
NAMI on Campus
Missouri State University
Article by: Jessica Allen
NAMI Southwest Missouri has made an impact on so many lives in the Springfield area. As a social work
student at Missouri State University, I had heard of NAMI’s influence in the community and began familiarizing
myself with its outreach opportunities about two years ago. Last year I was taking a Social Welfare policy class
and was assigned a paper for which I had to interview a person involved in policy making. I emailed several
members of Springfield City Council to no avail when I remembered that I could also interview directors of programs, being that these people were also involved in policy making. I contacted Debora Biggs, the Executive Director of the NAMI Southwest Missouri here in Springfield, and got quite a bit of information about how NAMI
functions and the services it provides to the community.
Deb sparked my interest in NAMI, and I asked her how I could get involved. She mentioned an oncampus group that met at least once a month and gave me the contact information for the President of the club at
the time. I emailed him and asked if I could get involved; only to find out that he was the only member in the
group and a senior in his last year of school. He told me that he was looking for someone to turn the group over
to, and as I had been the only one to show interest in the group all semester, the job was mine if I wanted it.
I decided that being in charge would be better than not being involved at all, and that I would take this as
an opportunity to grow an organization that had not previously been getting the attention it deserved from other
students. I went through the process of registering the organization on campus, making flyers, and visiting classrooms to get the message out about NAMI on Campus. Within the first month of operation we went from one
member (myself) to five regular attendees. Many more students have reached out to me wanting to get involved
and attend meetings sparsely due to conflicting schedules.
We have put on a number of events since the beginning of last semester and attended others in support of
other organizations. We participated in NAMI Southwest Missouri’s Illuminating the Darkness 5k run in September. NAMI on Campus also co-sponsored an event with the Student Activities Council on Missouri State campus
called Stress Shredding, where students were invited to write down something that was stressing them out, put it
through a paper shredder, and enjoy a free snack. NAMI on Campus passed out free mental health resources at
this event to help keep students healthy during the stress of midterms. For Veteran’s Day, we held a fundraiser
for K9’s for Warriors. This is an organization that provides veterans affected by PTSD with service dogs. During
the same week that we held the fundraiser, we also sponsored an event in Carrington Auditorium where a retired
veteran came to share his story about his struggle with PTSD and how his service dog was able to help him. We
raised over $200 in three days to help veterans and made a positive name for our group in the campus community
that week.
This semester, NAMI on Campus is focusing on gaining even more members to accomplish our goals.
We have several events still in the planning process. So far we have elected two new officers with the possibility
of filling more positions. We are also working to collaborate with other groups on campus more frequently this
semester. The main question we are asking ourselves is: How do we get more people involved in the group? As
NAMI on Campus, we believe that it is important to open the conversation about mental health in everyday situations. People who are mentally ill are not the only ones who benefit from having open dialogue about their mental health. It is something that we are all affected by. Therefore, it is necessary to break the stigma surrounding
mental health topics and make the subject approachable for all age groups, genders, social classes, races, religions, etc. This is the goal of NAMI on Campus, and by expanding our roots we hope to grow exponentially in
numbers and in influence this year. Keep an eye out for more information on this semester’s events!
Jessica Allen, President NAMI on Campus
Missouri State University, [email protected]
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The Mark Becker Story
SENTENCED TO LIFE
Mental Illness, Tragedy and Transformation
JOAN BECKER
is the mother of Mark Becker
who lives with Paranoid Schizophrenia.
Joan speaks at schools, mental health conferences, NAMI, churches, and other venues sharing
their family's story of trying to find help and treatment for Mark.
Their family's story includes a tragedy beyond measure, but Joan knows this doesn't have to
happen to YOU. This is why Joan has written a book (released April 2015) and will continue to
share their personal family story in hopes it will help other families, care givers, and professionals understand how they can make a difference in the much needed change of our mental
health system . . . most importantly how faith in God has sustained their family through it all!
Join us on March 20th
to hear the story of Mark Becker and to come together
to increase awareness about mental illness and to
provide support to those affected by these illnesses.
7:00 pm, Monday, March 20, 2017
Schweitzer Brentwood Branch Library
2214 Brentwood Boulevard, Springfield, MO
For more information contact: NAMI Southwest Missouri, 417-864-7119
SPONSORED BY
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Staff goes Red for National Wear Red Day
NAMI Southwest Missouri
participates in the annual Everyone
Counts Campaign! This campaign is
part of a national effort to document the
number of unsheltered homeless on a
given night. Thank you Community
Partnership of the Ozarks for hosting
this important event!
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May is Mental Health
Awareness Month!
Watch our website
and
Facebook
for exciting new
events and ways YOU
can get
involved!
NAMI Southwest Missouri Membership
Join!
Membership with NAMI Southwest Missouri includes NAMI and NAMI Missouri. Members stay informed about research breakthroughs and recovery
with the NAMI Advocate Magazine and the NAMI Missouri and Southwest Missouri newsletters.
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1443 N. Robberson Suite 408, Springfield, Missouri 65802
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1443 N. Robberson Suite 408
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