It is my hope that this newsletter becomes a helpful tool for KSF members, supporters, and their families. I look forward to it evolving into a valuable resource center and guide, a wellspring of ideas and encouragement.

With your help and feedback, it will.

All the best,

Mike Fitzgerald

Annette Eckert, who retired last year as a St. Clair County Circuit judge, said she did not hesitate when Tom Smith asked her to become the newest member of the Karla Smith Foundation Advisory Council.

After two decades on the bench watching the problems faced by persons with a mental illness enmeshed in the criminal justice system, Eckert said she sees the foundation “as having a vision, and it’s something that I can be a part of that I think can really make a difference for people.”

Eckert, 60, served 20 years as a county circuit court judge. Before that, she spent 15 years as an attorney in private practice specializing in criminal defense and domestic law. As KSF’S newest board member, Eckert said she wants to bring some of her experience and expertise concerning the legal system with her to the board.

One of the biggest problems Eckert saw during her tenure as a circuit court judge results from a law that ends Social Security benefits for any beneficiary who is incarcerated for 30 days or more. The loss of these benefits, including healthcare insurance, could prove disastrous for mentally ill people and their families, she said.

“Then it becomes impossible for them to get back on their regular medication….” she said. “And so oftentimes they end being in a revolving door with the criminal justice system. We know how to help them. Yet we’re failing to do it. I saw that scene take place over and over and over again.”

Eckert’s husband is Maj. Gen. William L. Enyart, of Belleville, the commander of the Illinois National Guard. Enyart’s military career has provided Eckert with a front row seat to the problems faced by military veterans and their families, she said.

“I think the foundation could be a great partner to the National Guard and to the military and families,” she said.

The theme for the fifth annual Karla Smith Foundation dinner auction is “A Celebration of Gratitude.” The dinner auction provides a great opportunity to gather the organization’s community together and honor and recognize all the people who contributed to its success, said Emily Smith, the event chairperson. “And particularly this year we are really emphasizing that point,” Smith said. “For a small non-profit to make it five years is a major milestone. It shows a real commitment by the community who has supported us. So this year, with a celebration of gratitude, we want to emphasize our interest in giving back through our services to the community," she said.

Last year the dinner auction drew 375 attendees. This year, the goal is to boost that number past 400, Smith said.

The doors are scheduled to open at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12 at the Four Points Sheraton in Fairview Heights. Tickets for the event are $50 per person until Oct. 31, and $60 from Nov. 1 to the day of the event. Once again, Fox News/Channel 2 reporter Andy Banker will serve as the event emcee, while Dave Schumacher will reprise his role as auctioneer. Highlights of the 2011 dinner-auction include live music, testimony from KSF support group members and the awarding of a plaque to a person who has shown particular dedication to the foundation’s work and goals. Another highlight will be a “jewelry bar” that will allow participants to make a small donation. In return, “they receive a glass of Champagne and the opportunity to win through a drawing at end of evening a piece of jewelry some valued at $1,000,” Smith said.

And of course, there’s the main auction itself, whereby participants may bid on a wide range of items and services, including a stay at a Florida condominium, jewelry and a large hot tub that once belonged at GCS Ballpark, in Sauget, the home of the Gateway Grizzlies minor league baseball team. To register for the dinner auction, you can log on to the KSF web site at www.karlasmithfoundation.org. To donate items to the auction, you can log on to the same web site or call 624-5771.

Fourteen volunteers from the Karla Smith Foundation, of Belleville, Ill. spent the first week of August on the set of the popular ABC reality show, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” working to build a dream home for the Allen Hill family of Ottawa, Kansas. Retired Staff Sergeant Hill was nearly killed by a massive roadside bomb while serving in Iraq and now lives with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). KSF volunteers spent the week doing everything from serving five meals a day, handing out water in the 100-degree heat, coordinating news/media personnel and cleaning the construction site, to framing and hanging wallpaper, and even filming a few background scenes with the Extreme Design team - Ty Pennington, John Littlefield, and Paige Hemmis.

In addition, KSF had set up a booth in the Mental Health Awareness Tent, which was constructed across from the build site. The booth brought light to the mission of KSF and the challenges faced by veterans with PTSD. Environmental triggers such as loud noises, crowds, dimly lit spaces and long hallways can instigate Post Traumatic Stress Disorder episodes. The ‘extreme’ home was built to make Hill’s treatment easier, as the home is sound-proofed and includes a safe room for Hill to go in when an episode occurs. To avert the triggering of a PTSD episode for Hill, for the first time in the show’s eight-year history a silent reveal took place. A crowd of several thousand people waving American flags showed their support by watching quietly for more than 20 minutes as Ty Pennington welcomed the family during the famous “move that bus” moment. “The week was an outpouring of support from a local community for a very deserving family,” said Kevin Smith, vice-president of KSF, who was in Kansas all week working as a volunteer leader and helped set up the Mental Health Awareness Tent. “The topic of mental illness opened a lot of people’s eyes in this area and will touch many more across the country when the show airs.”

“In a week a house was built with hammers, nails, sweat and tears, but a home was made with hope, grace and strength,” said Erin Hazen, a Karla Smith Foundation volunteer who worked in the catering tent. The Hill Family edition of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” is set to air Friday, November 4 at 7:00 p.m. on the ABC television network during a special two-hour episode.

“I am very pleased with my experience this weekend. I have learned a lot and I believe I have found support and direction. Thank you.” “A very good conference and I will attend in the future.”

These written, anonymous comments came from two of the nearly 200 participants in this year’s Erase the Stigma of Mental Illness and Suicide conference held August 26-27 at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows. The theme of this fifth conference was “Journey through the Maze” where the maze is both the brain disorder itself and the available resources to manage these illnesses.

KSF is a major sponsor, funder, and planner of this annual conference. It is one of our most significant educational events of the year, and we know through evaluations and follow-up contacts with participants that this conference leads to greater use of our support groups, resources, and personal dialogue with individuals.

This year our keynote speaker on Friday was Dr. Karl Wilson, the President/CEO of Crider Health Center in St. Louis. Dr. Wilson made a strong case for integrating mental health care with other physical health care needs. On Saturday, our keynote session featured an interview with Gina Hill, the wife of Ret. Staff Sergeant Allen Hill who was diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after he was injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq. Gina’s story and Allen’s testimony were clearly memorable highlights of the conference.

Other sessions provided valuable information and inspirational testimony from presenters who shared their struggles with mental illness as well as their hope, recovery, and strategies for managing their illnesses.

As another participant put it: “A well-planned workshop. Personal stories are always inspiring, but you also interspersed very useful facts. Thank you.”

Choosing a doctor, therapist and / or psychiatrist for you or your loved one can be overwhelming.  Be prepared when selecting a doctor and ask the correct questions.  Remember that the mental health provider works for you.  You have the right to select or change to one who will meet the needs of you or your loved one.

• Questions to ask your doctor or psychiatrist:
  http://www.merckengage.com/common/article.aspx?ID=361 
• Questions to ask your therapist:
  http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=47440 
• Treatment of children with mental illness fact sheet:
  http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/treatment-of-children-with-mental-illness-fact-sheet/nimh-treatment-children-mental-illness-faq.pdf