My First Park Hills Chamber Meeting

Cindy and I got to attend the November 17th Park Hills Chamber meeting. When we arrived at Mineral Area North Campus, we signed in and received out ticket for lunch and the door prize. Next we headed to the buffet table and got our lunch. We ate lunch after we found our seats.
After lunch we had the business meeting. We talked about the Tushies and Toes ending on at the next Chamber meeting and to sign up if you want to be part of the Business Spotlight.
Our guest speaker was Chris Westrich from Parkland Health Center. It was really interesting hearing about all of the changes at the area hospitals. The Business Spotlight was Missouri Baptist University.
During the Investor Announcements, Cindy talked about our 2016 calendars and invited people to purchase one. One lady bought one from us.
The next meeting will be the holiday party at Elizabeth Hall on December 15th.

By Bea Y.
Friends in Action Clubhouse

My NAMI Weekend

Well, we left here after lunch on Friday. There were 7 of us. We had four men and three women. We went on a trip from Park Hills to Lake of the Ozarks. When we arrived we thought we were without a room, but the name was spelled wrong. We had the best place, it was a condo instread of a hotel room. We had brand new furniture and a fire place and everything. It was beautiful. Thanks to Clubhouse for the wonderful room. We were too excited to sleep that first night. We were in a two bedroom, two bathroom, condo and it was just beautiful. I liked everything. I sure enjoyed the Ice Cream Social that our room hosted our last night.
Now let’s see, then we went to the NAMI annual meeting and listening to the DBT presentation. Some of the speakers were a little bit long winded. Everything was good. I like DBT, I graduated once and now am taking it again. We each had the opportunity to take notes throughout the conference.
I learned about the VA this weekend and I learned the different stages of the military. I learned about NAMI HomeFront this weekend. There is training in January, if the weather permits us, we would like to take this training and further assist the veterans in this area. I believe that we are all ready for the next meetings to come along. There is more to respect, faith, and prayer… LOVE is the most important. We are not machines we are humans.

Beatrice Young

What has Clubhouse done for you?

My name is Kenny and I am a member of the Friends in Action Clubhouse. I have been a member since October 28, 2015. I have not been depressed, as much, since joining the Clubhouse. I have met some interesting people and made some new friends and I have been able to help in the Clubhouse work ordered day. I have been asked everyday why I come to Clubhouse. I say “because it helps with my depression, but I really feel like I am a part of something. I belong somewhere. I have not felt this way in a couple of years. The Clubhouse is my sanctuary, a place that I can go to where, for a few hours a day, I don’t worry about or stress about my past few months or years. That is why I come to Clubhouse.
Before I became a member of the Clubhouse, I lived a life of constant stress. I worried about the smallest things. I stressed about where I was going to get the help that I needed to get back to where I needed to, in order to become the person that I know I am. The staff is “awesomatic,” which means automatically awesome. The members are the friendliest group of people. They have all treated me like family. This is my home away from home. The Clubhouse has also given me a sense of being. It has showed me that I do belong on this Earth and that there is a reason for living. I am here, as a man, I have a purpose. I do matter in life. My case worker is a God-sent, without her and my daughter I would not be here. They have saved my life. My case worker referred me to Clubhouse.
Thank you, all of you, with my life. Above all, thank you for your lasting friendship and love. Will I come back? YES, I WILL!

My T.E experience at Park Hills River mart:

From Jasmine:
My experience has been really excited and life changing. At first I was nervous and my anxiety was bad. I thought I was going to mess up and screw everything up,but that wasn't the case. I now know great work skills and how to talk to others well, instead of being scared of saying the wrong stuff. My boss and fellow coworkers are so incredible. They don't treat me differently and don't look down on me because of my illness. I am so appreciative of having this position and am looking forward to my future with River Mart.

We are working on the 2016 calendar. What font do you like best?

Seed of Wisdom Women's Conference

I went to the Seeds of Wisdom with Friends in Action Clubhouse. We were right on time getting there. They opened the doors at 8:30am and we all signed in, to go through the lines, and check out all of the vendor tables. We got a lot of goodies to bring home and a few of our members won prizes. We had a good time listening to all of the speakers. A few of our members are trained RESPECT speakers. Mike Gehrke and Christine White did a phenomenal job giving their presentations. There was also a speaker who taught us how to exercise while sitting in our chairs to "build the core muscles." The exercise was great and I felt much better afterwards. We were served lunch which was brought to us by Subway for free. We enjoyed complimentary coffee, juice, and water throughout the day. We were also provided with fresh fruit, donuts, and other treats. Then we went back into the conference room and learned about all ages- from 0-88. I was the last of the baby boomers- I am 67 years old and I enjoyed everything AND everyone. I give them all an E+ or A+, which is the very best marks in the school I went to.
With Love, Beatrice P. Young (P.S. I want to go again!)

Real Voices, Real Choices Conference

We left at 7am to go to Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, MO. The van was as packed as it could be. First thing we did was to head for a place that had caffeine to help keep us awake. The rest of the way went smooth until Cindy's phone's GPS decided to take us elsewhere. But after several turn arounds, we finally arrived at our destination. When we got there, we registered for the conference and waited for our rooms. Since we were a little early, the RVRC crew already provided planned games in the main hall room. It allowed a chance to talk and get to know people and mingle. There were numerous speakers and break-out sessions to choose from. Each speaker and break-out session was very informative and interesting. Each break-out session had a drawing at the end of their presentation. At night time, the RVRC conference crew planned karaoke, movie, bingo, or game night, or you could do what you wanted to do. On Monday night, the Friends in Action group had a pizza party in Cindy's room. It was great for all of us. The days started early and ended late, and sleep was super welcome on Tuesday night. I had lots of fun and met interesting people and hope to do it again next year.


Brenda F