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This holiday season, please consider giving a gift that will help us open more Clubhouses around the world. Each Clubhouse supports members on their recovery journey.
This is a story about how a Clubhouse in California came to be, and how it’s already changing lives.
Diane Rabinowitz had tried for years to help her son, Tariq, who faced homelessness and incarceration after a mental health crisis at 17. She even relocated to a smaller town, where she became President of her local National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
“And one day I looked around and saw all these adults sitting around while volunteers cooked [in a local shelter]. I thought to myself: how are they learning to be self-sufficient?”
Through research, she discovered Clubhouse International and connected with Jack Yatsko, our COO.
Diane exchanged emails with Jack who advised her that the strongest new Clubhouses are formed with a small group of committed individuals from the community, what we call a Startup group. She quickly formed a group.
The Startup group attended our New Clubhouse Development (NCD) training where they put together a business plan, including strategies to secure community support as part of Clubhouse International’s process for establishing new Clubhouses.
Our process connects new Startup groups with experienced Clubhouse leaders, so Jack introduced Diane to Tamara Hunter, founding staff member of another Clubhouse located just over two hours away. Tamara became their mentor, while Diane had monthly check-ins with Jack and the program team for technical support.
The group had grown quickly, securing a location and starting to line up funding, when they encountered resistance from a neighboring business—a common NIMBY (not in my back yard) challenge faced by new Clubhouse groups.
“This was another point where Clubhouse International rose to help. They were able to connect me to other people who had successfully navigated the same issue in their own community.”
It took a year of persistence, but the group secured some important local funding and overcame community resistance. Finally, after two years of hard work, Clubhouse El Dorado had their grand opening this past September.
We all celebrated Clubhouse El Dorado’s opening. Today, less than three months after opening, they are already meeting their initial membership and daily attendance goals!
We now have more than 370 Clubhouses in our global network. We are working to increase that number every day, so no community is without a Clubhouse. That’s our vision. And your support can make it happen.
Tina’s story above is only possible because Diane’s story was possible. Your gift will make more of these stories possible! Please make a gift today.