From Existing to Thriving
Meet Anthony, a Village Clubhouse member whose life has been transformed by the Clubhouse Model
Anthony started his Clubhouse journey a year after graduating high school. “I wasn’t doing anything in that gap of time, I was sitting around, I was playing video games a lot, sleeping terribly, I had no structure or a sense of purpose. I just felt like I was existing, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to move forward.”
Anthony started his clubhouse membership at Village Clubhouse in Topsham, Maine, just a few weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic. The closing of the Clubhouse forced him back into the isolation he was trying to overcome. The clubhouse reach-out practices helped Anthony feel less alone during this time, and inspired him to return once the clubhouse re-opened. “At first my growth seemed gradual. I didn’t have my first transitional employment (TE) opportunity until January 2021 at Goodwill. Before that I was trying to figure things out at the Clubhouse. There was a lot of trial and error, and I wasn’t the most productive, but people kept encouraging me—so I started taking it more seriously.”
In the Fall of 2022, Anthony attended a Clubhouse International Colleague Training at Alliance House in Salt Lake City, Utah. “That’s when I started having a voice in advocating for growth in our Clubhouse. The training was a learning process, and I was absorbing a lot of information. I wanted to speak up for those members who didn’t know how to speak up yet.”
After working three TE’s through Village Clubhouse, Anthony moved into his own Supported Employment (SE) opportunity in 2023. Through the support of Village Clubhouse’s educational program, Anthony began taking courses to be a Direct Support Professional (DSP) in the summer of 2023. He has since gained his full certification as a DSP and works full-time supporting people with developmental disabilities. “They’re all great, they all have unique personalities and it’s rewarding. I’m a small component that helps them live a more fulfilling life, whether I’m transporting them somewhere or showing them how to take a cooking class.”
Anthony also became a proud and loving father on February 1, 2026. He happily reports that the debilitating social phobia he experienced as a new member at Village Clubhouse no longer prevents him from feeling confident in himself and in his future. “I wouldn’t change anything; I think my life is going great. I want to keep working as many hours as I can get, buy a house, and be the best father I can be to my son.”