Monday, December 23, 2013

Ring for United Way



             

     We love that feeling of giving back to the community at the Friends in Action clubhouse, so we went to Country Mart in Park Hills and rang the bell for the United Way on Friday, December 20, 2013.  It was a great experience!  Everyone was kind, caring, and friendly.  It warmed my heart to feel like I was a part of helping those in need.  We have been so blessed.  It felt great!  I know all of us here at F.I.A. enjoyed the great weather.  Despite the forecast for rain the sun came out for a while.  This is a wonderful time of year to help spread joy and happiness!   
 By Letitia D

Friday, December 20, 2013

My First Day Back at Clubhouse

I came to the clubhouse today and honked the horn and Anna came to the door. I saw the stereo and decided that we needed some music. Then I took my drawing paper and started to draw. I hope that Betty with help me because she is an excellent artist. I met some nice people, who greeted me today. I look forward to have lots of fun things to do at the clubhouse.  ----- 

Brenda H

Friday, December 13, 2013

This week at "Friends in Action"

With the weather outside so frightful, we managed to still be delightful with a week full of activities. Everyone is enjoying the new “work order day”. Attendance was low this week because of the extreme cold but we have a great group that pitched in and helped out.

Monday we did the shopping for both the kitchen and our “Snack Shack”. I know this does not sound like a lot of work but when you are checking supplies that you have on hand to see what you need and then try to buy just the right amount for 30 people, five days a week, shopping really does require many people to make the task light.

Wednesday we started late so that we could go and see the “Christmas in Lights”. From what I hear everyone seemed to enjoy it. Another thing we did Wednesday was so start working on the grocery shopping list for next week.

Thursday we held our weekly “House Meeting.” This is the time when staff and members come together to discuss action items, concerns or celebrations for the week. Listed below are some of the things we discussed:

Celebrations:
• (Gerry) 2 weeks without drugs
• (Curtis) 19th year anniversary for alcohol and drug free
• (Lisa) finally got to get out of the house
• (Larry) daughter will turn 6 on 12-13
• (Daniel) Dad visited and brought him a microwave.

New Business:
• No cans in mini-van: Recycling cans use ADA if possible
• Phones on silent during meeting times: House and cell phones
• Powell Hall Symphony (Cindy). Consensus is we will attend in March. Tickets are $1.00. Parking is $10.00. Symphony is 1 to 1 1/2 hour. Dress is nice clothes. Cindy will order tickets (12).
• Pay for Christmas luncheon from Snack Shack funds? (Donna) Consensus was to pay for luncheon out of snack shack account. Everyone to bring a $1.00 to help with tip.
• DMH Director’s Showcase (Donna) Need to make 12 packets for showcase-Dan.
• Anna’s office schedule on her door (Donna) Advise everyone that her schedule is on her door.

Friday the weather has again turned frightful but we were still delightful. Mike held the “Wellness Group” and Cindy made the shopping list and went shopping for groceries for next week.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Keeping staff informed about Friends in Action new clubhouse model

On, November 26, 2013 Anna Portell and I attended the all staff meeting for BJC-BH Southeast site. Our purpose was to inform all staff members about the new clubhouse model that Friends in Action Clubhouse is moving towards. We talked about why the changes are happening and what some of the changes are. One of the changes we talked about was when a caseworker would come and visit a member at clubhouse, the member would be taken away from what they are doing. For instances if they are in the middle of helping make lunch the member would need to stop and ask someone else to finish the task.With our new Independent model we are there to help with all chores during a work order day. So caseworkers have been asked to visit members outside of clubhouse hours.
Article written by Sam

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

5th Annual Trivia Night was a $2106 Success for Project Clubhouse

Thirteen teams participated in our 5th annual Trivia fundraiser Saturday evening, November 9th and helped raise money for our building fund. To date, all five trivia nights has raised a total of $9166.50.


We want to thank the North, South, and SE sites, Clubhouse, Kim Gladstone, and Jean Riley for their contributions toward the raffle. We sold $490 worth of raffle tickets and gave away 8 prizes!

Clubhouse members were able to form a team from the generous $100 contribution from BJC BH Leadership. We received three other $100 donations and a $20 donation from various individuals in addition to the money from the participants.

The Project Clubhouse Committee is the fundraising committee to raise funds to relocate the clubhouse to a larger facility so we can serve more BJC BH clients. The committee received a lot of feedback from Saturday’s participants so we are already making plans for our 6th Annual Trivia Night.



BRIDGES is returning to the SE site

Ramona Taylor, Program Director for BRIDGES, spent three days in Farmington providing a “train the teacher” course for BRIDGES. Six clubhouse members completed the training and are now ready to begin teaching the 10-week education course.


An Open House is scheduled for Wednesday, November 20 from 11:00-1:00 at the SE site. This is the opportunity for consumers and staff to learn about the program. The 10-week course (2 hour long sessions each week) will begin Wednesday, November 27 from 11:00-1:00.

This FREE 10-week Education Course is a peer-to-peer, consumer-run course offering information about mental illness, treatment, self-help skills and the philosophy of recovery. The goal of each session is to empower students to take an active role in their treatment and recovery. BRIDGES is based on the belief that individuals living with psychiatric symptoms “can and do recover a new and valued sense of self and purpose” by meeting the challenges of an illness that can affect every aspect of life.

Friends in Action Clubhouse moving toward the “true” Clubhouse Model

Staff members, Anna Portell and Donna Gilliam, along with clubhouse member, Samantha completed a 3-week training at the Independence Center (IC) which is the first step toward accreditation through Clubhouse International. Friends in Action Clubhouse (FIA) was one of three clubhouses participating in the training. Karen Miller, Associate Director, joined us the third week of training, along with Directors and Board Members associated with Magnolia Clubhouse of Cleveland, Ohio and Crossroads Clubhouse in Tulsa, Oklahoma.


Samantha described her experience as, “we spent three weeks learning about the ‘ins and outs’ of what we need to be an accredited clubhouse and we learned how we can get help from other clubhouses.” Attending this training has been a five year goal for the SE site and we are so appreciative that the cost was approved in the 2013 budget!

The three week training consisted of engaging in the work ordered day at Independence Center, many hours of reading material related to the 36 Clubhouse Standards and discussion groups on that material, as well as tours of the IC housing and employment opportunities.

The International Standards for Clubhouse Programs define the Clubhouse Model of rehabilitation. The Standards serve as a “bill of rights” for members and a code of ethics for staff, board and administrators. The Standards insist that a Clubhouse is a place that offers respect and opportunity to its members.

FIA had been operating as the Psychosocial Rehabilitation Program of BJC Behavioral Health, SE site using a “mixed bag” model. That is, half of the day was the work ordered day then the other half was structured groups/activities. According to Clubhouse Standards, the structured groups do not belong in the clubhouse setting (due to the clinical aspect) and the social/leisure activities should occur after the work ordered day-- evenings, weekends, and holidays.

As FIA moves closer to accreditation, eight action plans are in full force. The full work ordered day with members and staff building relationships as they run the clubhouse together is occurring, while the Evening/Weekend/Holiday (EWH) Program will begin on Thanksgiving Day as members and staff will celebrate together with a meal. Other action plans include developing an outreach program, changing the staff-member relationship from hierarchal to collegial, defining the space within the clubhouse to allow both members and staff to access all areas, developing a Transitional Employment Program (TEP), adding an education element, and developing the FIA Advisory Board.

Recently FIA members and staff spent the day at Harmony House, the clubhouse in Washington, MO affiliated with Crider Health Center. We participated in three of their meetings, enjoyed lunch with members and staff from their clubhouse and engaged in a ‘question-answer’ session. As part of the action plans, in addition to visiting the three Missouri accredited clubhouses, FIA members and staff have begun reading articles from the IC training and meeting for philosophical discussions to help everyone understand fully what is needed (and why it is needed) to change so the clubhouse is fulfilling the intent of all 36 standards. Members and staff from Independence Center will be guiding Friends in Action through the philosophical discussions and are available for assistance with all eight action plans.

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Fund Raisers

Fundraising at the Clubhouse


It has been fund raising time at the clubhouse. Members voted and organized a yard sale and a pancake and sausage fundraiser here at Friends in Action. These events were both held in October.

Members, staff and people from the community donated lots of items for the yard sale. After a couple of small bumps in the road we finally got to have the yard sale at the BJC office in Farmington on October 4th. We had plenty of volunteers to come out and help. The temperature was nice and the rain held off. We raised a total of $527.65 for the clubhouse.

The Pancake and Sausage Breakfast was held on October 12th. This was our first attempt at having a fund raising breakfast. It was definitely a learning experience. Members and staff got up early and arrived at the clubhouse at 5:30AM to start making the pancakes and sausage. The turnout was not as great as we would have liked. It was a little rainy and there was another pancake breakfast for a different agency on the same day we had ours. Next year will be better! We already have some ideas to, hopefully, make it better. We made a profit of $61.94 at our first Pancake and Sausage fund raiser.

The money that we have raised with these two events will be used for scholarships for members of the clubhouse to attend conferences. Some of the members attended the Real Voices and Real Choices consumer conference in August. They say “a good time was had by all,” and they learned some things as well. Clubhouse staff and seven members will be attending the NAMI State conference at The Resort at Point Arrowhead on November 8th, 9th, and 10th this year. We will be learning about current issues within the NAMI organization as well as other mental health news and information. We will then bring our newfound knowledge back to the clubhouse to share with everyone.

I would like to take this time to thank all who volunteered to assist with our fundraising events at the clubhouse. We are involved in many fundraisers throughout the year. Not only do we raise money for conference scholarships, but we fundraise for the Project Clubhouse building fund and other worthy causes. If anyone would like to volunteer their time for future events at the clubhouse, give us a call at 573-431-9620.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Come and get it

Join us for the Friends in Action ALL YOU CAN EAT Pancake and Sausage Fundraiser Breakfast on October 12th from 700-1030. Adults are $6 in advance and $7 at the door. Kids (age 4-13) are $4 and kids under three are free. Any questions or to purchase advance tickets call Michael Hunt 431-9620. Friends in Action clubhouse is a membership program for individuals with a severe and persistent mental illness and/or severe emotional disturbance. The Clubhouse is designed to help members become more productive citizens within the communities they live through communication, social, spiritual, intellectual, mental and physical skills. The proceeds from the fundraiser will be used for the members to attend conferences that will enhance their knowledge of mental illness and treatment.




YARD SALE

Join us for the Friends in Action YARD SALE on Friday October 4th from 7:00-12:00 at 1085 Maple St, Farmington.  Friends in Action clubhouse is a membership program for individuals with a severe and persistent mental illness and/or severe emotional disturbance.  The Clubhouse is designed to help members become more productive citizens within the communities they live through communication, social, spiritual, intellectual, mental and physical skills.  The proceeds from the yard sale will be used for the members to attend conferences that will enhance their knowledge of mental illness and treatment. 

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

September 11

Some exciting happenings coming to the clubhouse


We have all been hearing rumors about changes that will be put into place. Not being sure is scary but we trust in our staff to always do what is best for us.

Anna, Donna and Sam went to St Louis for 3 weeks to learn just how the changes are to be introduced to us all. Every Tuesday morning we have an all group meeting so they can tell us some of the changes that are going to be made. We are going to be a more client focused clubhouses. Any way that is the plan, but it is mostly a wait and see what is going to happen, and hope for the best.

We are having our annual “Trivia Night” Saturday November 9 2013. We usually raise a good amount of money to add to our Clubhouse fund. Cost is $10 dollars a person so save your money and sign up on the signup sheet. We always have a great time so come join us.

Our membership is growing and we really need to have more space, it is hard to navigate between all the tables to get to a place to sit. We need room for us all, so we need to grow in size. Growing takes money, so we are all encouraged to participate in our fund raisers.

We are together better than when we are alone. Our strength together is what makes our FIA a clubhouse of friends and family growing and sharing every day.

Betty W.



Thursday, July 25, 2013

July 25th

Good evening to all of the faithful followers of the clubhouse blog.  We are having a wonderful week here.  Monday went well with no major incidents.  We had a change of plan on Tuesday and the staff meeting was canceled.  We decided to have a little fun at the clubhouse.  The members that attended were treated to pizza and banana splits while we watched movies.  It was a great time.  Wednesday went smoothly with the coping skills groups and Art with Betty.  Ruth led the reflexology group in the afternoon and the members that attended seemed to enjoy it.  Thursday was the monthly birthday party.  Tina and the kitchen crew made a delicious birthday cake for everyone.  Dawn taught us about self esteem this morning and we had the member meeting at lunch time.  The birthday games took place in the afternoon and we sang to the member with July birthdays.  Tomorrow we will round out the week with shopping, Betty's art class and a coping with anxiety group.  Don't forget the Yard Sale is next week.  We could use all the donations we can get and then spread the word about the sale.  It is on Friday August 2nd from 7am to noon at 206 Crane st in Park Hills.  So stop by and see us and hopefully we will have a big turnout.  But, until next time I hope all is well and remember that you have a friend. 

YARD SALE


Friends in Action Clubhouse

Fundraising Yard Sale

August 2nd

7:00-12:00

206 Crane St, Park Hills

Friends in Action clubhouse is a membership program for individuals with a severe and persistent mental illness and/or severe emotional disturbance. The Clubhouse is designed to help members become more productive citizens within the communities they live through communication, social, spiritual, intellectual, mental and physical skills.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Happy Tuesday

Good Morning to all.  I hope that everyone is ready, cause it is gonna be hot this week.  We have been lucky so far this summer with the mild weather.  Hopefully the heat will not last for long.  Everything has been going pretty good at the clubhouse.  Last week was fairly uneventful.  Dawn and her crew moved the traveling art wall on Wednesday.  It is now at the Southeast Site for us to enjoy.  We attended the NAMI meeting last Thursday evening.  Tina made fluff to share with the others at the meeting.  It was a big hit as always and everyone wanted the recipe.  I will be accompanying some of the members that regularly attend the NAMI meeting to the state NAMI conference in November.  It should be a good time.  We are going to be involved in some fundraising between now and then to help with the cost.  The clubhouse is having their fundraising yard sale on August 2nd from 7-12, I hope to see you all there.  We have been talking about having a pancake and sausage breakfast to raise funds for the NAMI conference.  I will keep you updated as we figure out the details.  Dawn will be taking a couple of members to the Real Voices Real Choices conference at Tan Tar A next month.  Anna and Donna are going to be gone to training for THREE weeks in August.  We will miss them.  They are going to learn about the clubhouse model of psychosocial rehabilitation.  This week we will have the regular coping skills groups and a couple of art classes with Betty.  Coffee with a Doc was cancelled for Friday.  We will be attending next month though.  Next week the clubhouse is going to closed on Tuesday for staff training. If all goes as planned the rest of week will be smooth and we will have a good time here at the clubhouse.  So, until next time I hope all is well and remember that you have a friend. 

Friday, July 5, 2013

TGIF






I hope that everyone had a wonderful and safe fourth of July.  The weather was perfect and the fireworks were amazing.  We have had a good week here at the clubhouse.  I was not here on Monday or Tuesday, but I believe that everything went smoothly. They focused on  coping skills group for those two days.   Members and staff attended the annual fourth of July party at Desloge Park on Wednesday.  Harry and Tina BBQ'd for us.  They did a great job and it was very good.  Members joined in some games for prizes.  We played ring toss and played washers among many other games.  I believe that everyone had a good time.  The weather was great.  The only complaint is that the pool was closed, so we did not get to go swimming.  Friday was yard sale day.  We found all kinds of things that we just had to have.  It was a good time, although it was a little warm.  The day ended with no major problems and everyone got home safely.  But, until next week I hope all is well and remember that you have a friend. 

Thursday, June 20, 2013

6-20-13

Hello to all of the clubhouse followers out there.  We have had a pretty good week so far.  Yesterday was busy at the clubhouse.  We had 36 members attend!! We focused on having groups yesterday.  We had three to choose from and most everyone attended at least one of them.  Today the clubhouse was closed, but it was not boring.  The clubhouse was full of case workers attending the CPR class.  We all passed, thank goodness, and are recertifed.  Hopefully no one will have to use the skills that we learned, but it is better to be prepared.  Dawn took a small group of members to Pickle Springs for a Hike and then they watched a film about the history of mental health treatment.  In the afternoon I took over for Dawn and the members and I went shopping.  We picked up some things that we will need for tomorrow and next week.  We will be wishing Tony farewell tomorrow.  He is going to be enjoying his well deserved retirement.  He has been an asset to the clubhouse.  He is appreciated by staff and members alike.  Tony faithfully drove the members to and from the clubhouse. He kept the vans going.  Most of the time anyway.  His ADA van gave us a few problems from time to time, but it was usually back on the road, with Tony behind the wheel, pretty quick.  We are going to the coffee with a doc at Bauhass Kaffee in the morning.  We will enjoy some of their good coffee and learn about strep and shingles.  After that we will go shopping so that the members can pick up any items that they need for themselves.  Then it is back to the clubhouse.  Shannon and the kitchen crew will be whipping up some chicken salad sandwiches for lunch.  Yummy..   Andrea will be teaching us some coping skills in the afternoon.  We will end the day with some leisure time.   During leisure time the members usually like to play pool or the wii.  Some may put in an exercise video.  Everyone will talk with their friends and relax for a while before the weekend starts.  I hope that everyone has a good Friday and weekend.  Lets all make that extra effort to get out for a little physical activity this weekend.  Until next week I hope all is well and remember that you have a friend. 

Mike

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Tuesday 6-18

Somehow I managed to miss updating you all last week and for that I apologize.  We have been staying pretty busy around the clubhouse.  The catering event that I told you about last time went well.  Dawn has been preparing for the Real Voices Real Choices Conference in Tan Tar A this summer.  I do have some bad new though.  Recently a long time member, Jack, passed away.  He will be greatly missed.  Jack always brought a little culture to the clubhouse.  He would read poetry to us and he loved classical music.  Jack's family has identified clubhouse as a place to donate money in his memory.  We have received four donations so far.  We appreciate all those who have donated.  We have been talking about having a clubhouse yard sale later in the summer for a fundraiser.  I will provide more details as they become available.  Today we have wellness planning groups in the morning and afternoon.  Tomorrow we will have several coping skills groups to choose from, art class and leisure time.  The clubhouse will be closed on Thursday.  Most of us have to go to CPR training.  Dawn will be picking up a few member and going to pickle springs for a hike.  Friday is coffee with a Doc day at Bauhass Kaffee.  We will be learning about strep and shingles.  In the afternoon Jeff Arledge and Jennifer Crimm from the finance office are coming to visit us.  We will have a reception with coffee and cookies.  The members will have the opportunity to attend a focus group with them.  I will hope full have more updates this week.  So, until then I hope all is well and remember that you have a friend. 

Friday, June 7, 2013

It's Finally Friday

It is Friday once again.  We had a catering event yesterday for 30 people.  It was for the St. Francois County Mental Health Board.  They had a meeting to talk about the crisis intervention program with local law enforcement.  I may be a little partial, but it looked great.  The people that attended the meeting said that the food was pretty good too.  We have 26 people signed up for today.  That is a pretty big day at the clubhouse for Friday.  Hopefully we can continue that trend and people will start attending more on Fridays.   Today is everyone's favorite event at the clubhouse......Yard Sales!!!!!!!  I think that we are going to the big yard sale at the fair grounds this morning and then maybe hit a thrift store or two.  That is the plan anyway, but as we all know plans tend to change here at the ole clubhouse.  We have coping skills this afternoon with Andrea.  She is going to teach us about how to "not sweat the small stuff".  Shannon and the kitchen crew are making us soft tacos for lunch.  She said that they are going to be good and I am sure that they will be.  Shannon's lunches are always delicious.  We will have our leisure time at the end of the day.  Then it is time for the weekend.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate with us for some outdoor activities.  But until next week, I hope all is well and remember that you have a friend. 

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Tuesday 6-4

Another week is upon us.  Please forgive me, as I did not have a chance to update you all on the happenings at the clubhouse for the last few days of last week.  It went pretty well though.  We had the mothers and fathers day celebration on Thursday. We had quite a few mothers and fathers join us for the party.  We played some games and had a lunch that everyone seemed to enjoy. On Friday some of us went personal shopping in the morning and arrived back at the clubhouse just in time for a giant chef salad.  I was not at the clubhouse yesterday, but as far as I know everything went well.  Donna said that they had the IL class and a coping skills class in the afternoon about coping with boredom.  I joined the members at the Potosi clubhouse today.  Dawn and Donna are holding down the fort back at Park Hills.  This morning at Potosi we played would you rather and tossed the question ball.  Everyone shared something.  We had some breakfast casserole, yogurt with strawberries and bagels for lunch.  Yum Yum.  This afternoon we had a coping skills group.  We learned about letting go of things that have happened in the past.  There was leisure time after the group.  Members talked and listened to music.  After clubhouse Tina and I went shopping for a big catering event that is happening on Thursday.  We will prep tomorrow and finish up on Thursday morning.  I will keep you updated later this week, but for now I hope all is well and remember that you have a friend. 

Mike

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Tuesday May 28

I hope that everyone had a safe and fun holiday weekend.  The weather was perfect for spending time outside with friends and family.  We had a short day yesterday so that the staff could go to a meeting in the afternoon.  Mr. Rothery and Ms. Gladstone came for a visit to the clubhouse yesterday.  The members had brunch and attended a focus group and shared their stories about how the clubhouse has helped them. Tina and Carol attended the staff meeting in the afternoon and delivered the RESPECT speeches.  They did a great job.    This morning all of the members arrived and dove right into the morning meeting and the member meeting.  Most everyone volunteered for a job duty today.  The member meeting went smoothly as well.  We shared our condolences for two of our members that recently lost a family member.  We reviewed the calendar for upcoming events and discussed the work units.  Members had some suggestions for things that they would like to see sold in the snack shack.  After the meeting some of the members went shopping for personal items and for the gifts for tomorrow's mothers and fathers day celebration.  Several members volunteered to assist Miss Shannon in the kitchen today.  They made chicken alfredo that everyone seemed to enjoy.  We had a visitor from the independence center today.  He helped make lunch this morning and then talked with Donna and Anna about the clubhouse training that they are going to be attending later this summer.  He spent time talking with the members as well.  Coping skills group this afternoon was about communication skills.  Everyone enjoyed some leisure time at the end of the day.  Most members talked with one another, a few chose to play pool or scrabble.  We should have a big crowd tomorrow for the mothers and fathers day party.  I will let you all know how it goes.  I hope all is well and remember that you have a friend. 

Friday, May 24, 2013

Friday

Well we have made it it through yet another week and this is a long weekend.  Clubhouse will be closed on Monday 5-27 in observance of memorial day.  So everyone enjoy some time with loved ones.  I don't know about the rest of you but BBQ is on the top of my list of Memorial Day weekend activities.  Get out and enjoy the weather, if it doesn't rain.  Friday at the clubhouse!!  Most of the usual crew came in today.  Most of us went shopping in the morning.  Gotta get the groceries for next week and everybody had time to get some stuff for themselves.  The rest of us stayed at the clubhouse and spent this time socializing and working in the work units.  Members and staff have been busying themselves cleaning today. We are getting the clubhouse clean and decorated for our special guest on Tuesday.  Dan, BJC group president, will be coming for a visit.  We have group this afternoon.  We're going to learn about how to deal with suicidal thoughts.  Members will spend the last hour or so at the clubhouse today getting things set up for Dan's visit or having some leisure time.  Then it will be time to load back up on the vans and head to the house.  Everyone be safe out there this weekend and have a good time.  I hope all is well and remember that you have a friend. 

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Potosi Day

Good old Potosi clubhouse.  Today was our once monthly Thursday at the Potosi Clubhouse.  We had six members join us today. A new member, Arlena, came in today.  The sun was shining, everyone was in a good mood and glad to see one another.  The conversation this morning was all about the annual Procovery fish fry at Lester's house last week.  It was said that a good time was had by all.  They said that the fishing was good and Lester showed off his 47 Jeep Willies.  Taylor caught the biggest fish of the day.  I hear that the food was excellent.  Maybe more of us can attend next year.  This morning Jack came by for the mental health education group.  He taught us about bi polar disorder.  Everyone soaked up all of the good info that Jack had for us and then we had time to ask questions. Everyone thanked Jack for coming today. Jack said that he would be back next month to teach us about Summer Safety.  Wanda and Judy made us a delicious lunch of cheeseburgers and tater tots with fudgesicles for dessert.  After we all ate and the mess was cleaned up Harry called bingo for a while.  Arlena, Paul, Judy and Wanda all won at least one game apiece.  As for the rest of us, we had fun anyway.  This afternoon we enjoyed the Procovery Circle.  For those that may not be familiar with Procovery it is a support group for people who have mental illness.  Rather than focusing on the past they focus on moving forward.  Barb and Karen R. joined us to lead the Procovery Circle this afternoon.  Unfortunately Ms. Miller did not get to come and see us today, but she did send her regards.   Everyone enjoyed the group and of course the snacks and social time at the end.  We wrapped up the day at the Potosi clubhouse with some leisure and social time.   I wonder if they had a good time at the Park Hills clubhouse today.  We will have to see and I will let you know if anything exciting happened.  But I guess that is all for today.  Hope all is well and remember you have a friend. 

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Were Back

We are back and hopefully going to be updating our blog regularly.  It has been a normal day at the clubhouse today.  Everybody has been staying busy with art and playing cards.  Dawn and some of the members went to the library while Donna decided to go for a walk.  Everyone was encouraged to participate in something.  We will be having lunch in a little while and everyone is looking forward to Shannon's french dip sandwhiches.  Group is this afternoon.  We will be learning about the importance of being able to agree to disagree with others.  Then it is leisure time before we go home.  There have been a lot of things going on at the Friends in Action lately.  We organized a mental health walk and rasied $2800 for NAMI of St Francois county.  When I say we in really mean Dawn, becuase she did most of the work.  The members have been busying themselves wiht art work for next years fundrasing calendar.  Speaking of art, the annual Art show was back in April and it went pretty well. There are many upcoming events this summer.  We will be going to camp Penuel oin June for a BBQ, swimming, fishing. games and of course for visit our old buddy Ron.  We are hoping gto go to the art musuem and the history museum this summer at spome point.  Members have been fundrasing for the annuall trip to the Real Voices Rreal Choices Conference at Tan Tar A in August.  Well thats about all for now, but we will be keeping you all updated on the goings on at the clubhouse.  Hope all is well and remember that you have a friend.


Mike