"I was a nobody. Now, I am a member of OEC."

The Ohio Empowerment Coalition, a statewide consumer advocacy and recovery organization, held its first annual conference at Embassy Suites in Dublin, Ohio, on August 13 and 14, 2010. Over 150 coalition members attended the two-day event, which included advocacy and educational workshops and keynote speaker, noted consumer rights advocate, Peter Ashenden.

Three representatives of the Mental Health America of Licking County’s Compeer program attended the conference, along with members and staff of The Main Place Recovery Center. Susan, a Compeer volunteer from Newark, was awarded a full-scholarship to the conference.

William Butcher, of Newark, also attended the two-day event, whose theme was “Honoring Our Past, Building Our Future.” Mr. Butcher, an active volunteer for both The Main Place and Mental Health America of Licking County, spoke of his experience in attending the event and the impact it had on his life. “People have told me that I was nothing. I was a nobody. Now, I am a member of OEC.”

The Ohio Empowerment Coalition, Inc. is a consumer-operated organization that consists of members statewide who are united to provide a platform for the voice of people with mental illness; to support persons and groups working to transform systems, and to promote wellness, mental health recovery, and resilience.

The organization elected their first permanent board of trustees representing individuals from across the state. Kristen Frame, Compeer Coordinator of Mental Health America of Licking County was elected to her first term as trustee representing Licking County.

Remembering Henry Mardis

Henry Mardis has been a dear friend and volunteer for the MHA Compeer program for many years. He and his partner Jan are a constant fixture at Compeer events and the MHA Annual Dinner. This past year, they received the Compeer Volunteer of the Year Award.

This weekend we were saddened to learn of his passing. Henry has been fighting cancer for over a year. He will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Jan and their children.

Henry and Jan are probably the most loved members of Compeer. The room lights up when they arrive. Whether it is spending special time with their dear friend, Becky, or in attending an event and making new friends, they are a great source of warmth and hope. Henry, a quiet man, shared his life with each member of Compeer. His wife Jan, more gregarious, is a perfect companion for this loving and gentle man.

Henry’s birthday was at the beginning of August, and he kindly celebrated with the Compeer family at a Hawaiian Party. Several members brought gifts and the happy crowd ate cupcakes with their dear friend. Even when he was very ill and limited in his social time, he always welcomed friends into his home and shared his enthusiasm for life. He is a role model for all a friend should be: compassionate, caring, funny, accepting and supportive.

He has taught us all a great lesson about how to truly live our lives with joy and compassion. We will miss him at our events, but he is always with us in our hearts.

Let us remember our friend as he lived-full of life and love.

--Kristen Frame

Compeer Coordinator

Compeer Joins National Call to Service

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: what are you doing for others?”
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In celebration of the life of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the members of the MHA Compeer program will be participating in a community service project at their January meetings, January 19--the day after the MLK, Jr. Day holiday--and January 27, 2010.

Compeer is a social integration and wellness program that matches individuals who have experienced mental illness with community volunteers who serve in one-to-one friendship matches.

Serving Through Example
Compeer members and volunteers will be learning about the teachings and life of Reverend King, as they prepare a project to be donated to the local Salvation Army Shelter. Some of the Compeer program participants have utilized the services of the Salvation Army’s Food Bank and Shelter in the past, and wish to give back to the community.

Members will be assembling “welcome packets” for new residents of the 18-bed temporary shelter, which will contain uplifting messages and donated personal care products. Kay Hartman, Volunteer Coordinator of the Salvation Army, says that many residents arrive at the shelter with nothing, not even a toothbrush. Compeer Members hope to reduce the emotional stress of living in temporary housing by providing the guests with comfort items of their own.

Dr. King’s Message of Hope
Dr. King’s concept of “somebodiness,” which symbolized the celebration of human worth and the conquest of subjugation, gave people of color and poor people hope and a sense of dignity. His philosophy of nonviolent direct action, and his strategies for rational and non-destructive social change, galvanized the conscience of this nation and reordered its priorities. His wisdom, his words, his actions, his commitment, and his dream for a new way of life are intertwined with the American experience.

In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday as a national day of service and charged the Corporation for National and Community Service with leading this effort.

Taking place each year in January, the King Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service – a “day on, not a day off.” The King Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, addresses social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a “Beloved Community.”

Dr. King recognized the power of service to strengthen communities and achieve common goals. Service is integral to meeting national challenges such as poverty, economic insecurity, illiteracy, hunger, and more.

How You Can Get Involved
If you, or your family or organization, would like to join in the King Day of Service this year, go to MLKDAY.gov for more information, or contact your favorite local service organization and offer your assistance. Many Projects are taking place throughout the month.

--Kristen Frame

Compeer Coordinator

True Democracy

I recently had the honor of experiencing true democracy. In my role as Compeer Coordinator for Mental Health America of Licking County, I organized a community discussion designed to collect input that will be used to change our health care system.

Tom Daschle, the Secretary-designate of the Department of Health and Human Services on behalf of President-elect Obama, called for individuals and organizations to host what they called “Health Care Community Discussions” in their offices, community rooms, coffee shops and living rooms, between December 15 and December 31.

Despite the fact that this gave us very little time to prepare, we, at Mental Health America of Licking County, decided that this was a wonderful opportunity to share our opinions about the American health care system and how it can be improved. We knew that the experiences of our consumers make them experts and that this issue is too important for us not to share our opinions and ideas with those who will make these decisions.

We invited Compeer program members to a discussion about health care on the evening of December 30th at the Mental Health America offices at 65 Messimer Drive in Newark. We planned to discuss health care, including mental health care, and their experience and concerns.

Invitations were mailed out and, ironically, because several members were sick and unable to attend, only a small group came together to share their perspectives on this important topic. I, too, have been sick and several times considered canceling the event before it got off the ground. But the people who came were enthusiastic and committed to the project.

The discussion became animated as participants took turns describing the problems they had had paying medical bills and their frustrations with trying to find a new psychiatrist in a community where so many are leaving. I, myself, have had my last three psychiatrists quit, before I finally turned to a doctor in Westerville.

Public policy suggestions from the group included making it more affordable for doctors to attend medical school. Despite assistance from insurance, the high cost of prescription medication was another concern of the group. The conversation continued for 1 ½ hours, and although we did not solve the nation’s problems, and we were not all in agreement, there was a feeling of empowerment that came from the sense that someone was listening to you.

At the end of the meeting, a very brief survey was completed and the statements by the participants were collected and entered into the www.change.gov web page for inclusion in the final report.

Because I had registered the event in advance, in order to get the discussion manuals and information, I also received a follow-up query the next morning, asking how the event went and urging me to respond by the January 4th deadline, in order for the information to be passed on to the President-elect.

President-elect Obama says he wants to bring the voices and health care concerns of all Americans to Washington. On his behalf, I want to thank everyone who attended for participating in this discussion and helping to make this happen. For more information about this project, go to www.change.gov/

Compeer is a program of MHA. The program serves people who are recovering from a mental illness. Compeer recruits, screens, trains and matches volunteers in one-to-one friendship relationships with adults receiving mental illness treatment. Compeer volunteers become positive role models and mentors. They help raise self-esteem, increase social and communication skills and encourage independence of their Compeer friend aiding them in their recovery.

Compeer friends also meet for monthly socials. We enjoy socializing together, engaging with guest speakers, going bowling, and trying new things-like cooking.

If you are interested in joining Compeer as a friend or volunteer, or to learn more, please call Kristen Frame, Compeer Coordinator at (740) 345-5658.

Kristen Frame
Compeer Coordinator