VOCAL is a statewide Non-Profit organization of people in mental health recovery. We are a community, support network, social change movement and self-help education program.VOCAL focuses on creating broad- scale social change as well as change in individuals. We work to transform the mental health system, and create alternatives to the system by promoting mental health recovery, self-determination and peer leadership. This is just a brief description.www.vocalvirginia.org

NAMI Family Support Group is a peer-led support group for family members, caregivers and loved ones of individuals living with mental illness. Groups generally meet on a monthly basis but may meet weekly. The hallmark of a NAMI support group is leveraging the collective knowledge and experience of the other participants. I am starting a Family Support Group in Warren County (Meeting place to be announced). We are working on getting the word out with a goal of up and running groups by June.

Provide drug, acohol, and violence prevention for the youth in our community.

Charter member of the board. Build fundraising events to benefit the FRPD. Marketed the organization in the community and beyond. Worked together to find out what the needs of the officers and work to procure them.

Our Mental Health Association supports the community by providing direct service with local residents, we provide education, and referral to appropriate agencies when necessary. With our funds we have less than 5% overhead, we provide funds for emergency medications or other urgent needs with the donations we receive.

I have served the Mental Health Association beginning September 2002 to Present. Some of my duties are to coordinate our program with our local, state, and national affiliates to assure current, research and information is up to date. I also serve as a liaison to other organizations in and around our community, working together to provide services that try to wrap around people in need.

I offered the option to families to give the gift, or let them know that it was their loved ones wishes by marking their driver license. We would assure the patient was suitable to donate. We then would go and surgically remove the tissue. We always take special care to make sure that the the families loved one looks the same when we finish as when we started. That is very important to us. I loved this job, and everyone in the company.

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