|
August 2008
Welcome to this issue of CONNECTIONS from the KARLA SMITH FOUNDATION.
The first half of 2008 featured both new and continuing activities. There are an estimated 40,000 people in St. Clair County alone who are families and friends of someone with mental health problems or who lost a loved one to suicide (see Connections December 2007). All our efforts locally are to encourage those people to participate in KSF services.
Our two support groups remain steady. Participation in the group for the family and friends of anyone with mental illness averaged 14 since the beginning of 2008, and the suicide survivors group averaged 12. We also started a group for family and friends of someone with mental health problems through Catholic Social Services in Carbondale, IL, facilitated by a CSS counselor. As in most support groups, new people join, some people are “regulars”, and others come periodically. We are pleased that the groups have matured to this level.
The second annual Erase the Stigma of Mental Illness Conference will be held at the National Shrine of our Lady of the Snows on Friday, August 22 and Saturday, August 23. It is a “conference for those who journey with someone suffering from mental illness” and KSF is a co-sponsor. The conference this year will focus on mental illness and spirituality, and it promises to be very helpful. If you or someone you know, thinks you will benefit from this conference, go to our website (above) and click on the conference button for the flyer and registration information.
KSF will sponsor our second annual Dinner/Auction on November 1, at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows. Please save that evening now and plan to join us for a fun night, a good meal, a silent auction, MC Steve Jankowski, and the always-entertaining Dave Shumacher who will once again lead us through the oral auction. This event is our only fund-raiser and provides funding for our 2009 programs (we do, of course, accept donations at any time). If you don’t receive more information on this gala gathering in the next few months, contact us through KSF or call 628-3129.
We are creating a DVD which tells the story of KSF and provides testimonies from participants about the benefits of our programs. The filming is complete and the production company is editing for a final version. We will use this DVD to promote the services of KSF and to help educate the public about mental illness and suicide.
We are also in the final stages of producing a Resource Directory which will list multiple resources in the area for families and friends of anyone with mental health problems or who lost a loved one to suicide. Our aim is to help people navigate the sometimes confusing world of multiple federal, county, city, private, or non-profit agencies that offer services in the area of mental illness. We believe the format and layout of this directory will make it a lot easier for people to find the services they need.
In September, Hazelden Publishing Company will publish A Balanced Life: Nine Strategies for Coping with the Mental Health Problems of a Loved One by Tom Smith. This book describes the KSF strategies that form the basis of the approach we use in our support group. Advance reviews of the book are very encouraging, e.g. “Effective, practical strategies for families and friends of people who struggle with mental illness. Each chapter is punctuated by real stories of hope, as well as questions for discussion or personal reflection. A handy, useful toolkit.” Herbert E Mandell, M.D., National Medical Director of Kids Peace. You can purchase this book (in September), along with our previously published book, The Tattered Tapestry, through KSF or Amazon.com.
KSF does not work alone. From the beginning, our intention was and still is to network with other groups and agencies that serve the needs of people with mental illness. Here are some of the groups and projects we work with:
- The Erase the Stigma conference is co-sponsored by KSF, the National Shrine of our Lady of the Snows, Allsup, Inc., Office of Apostolic Services from the Archdiocese of St. Louis, St. Clair County Mental Health Board, and Madison County Mental Health Board. The planning committee also has representatives from St. Elizabeth’s Hospital Behavior Health Care Unit, Chestnut Health Systems, and LINC.
- KSF is part of the St. Clair County Youth Coalition, a monthly gathering of 30-50 mental health professionals who collaborate in providing a variety of services related to youth and mental health. The Coalition is facilitated by the St. Clair County Mental Health Board.
- We are also members of Family Voices, a committee of the Youth Coalition whose purpose is to assure that the families and friends are represented in the programs and policies sponsored and encouraged by the Coalition.
- KSF serves on the National Advisory Council of Victorious Missionaries, a ministry sponsored by the Shrine for people with disabilities, including mental health issues.
- We work with local chapters of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) on a number of projects, e.g. the annual Piecing It All Together Conference which has a focus on children’s mental health issues. We are on the planning committee and the evaluation committee for this conference.
Please contact us at any time with your comments, suggestions, or questions about KSF. We appreciate your continuing support as, together, we provide hope for a balanced life to family and friends of anyone with a mental illness or who lost a loved one to suicide. |
