C Magazine #2

2 Washington Street, 9th Floor New York, NY 10004

Go the Distance Join the “Race for Our Community”

SEE OUR COMMUNITY

Transforming people’s lives starts with caring neighbors like you.

LEARN

CELEBRATE

PARTICIPATE

8th Annual NYC Mental Health Film Festival

38th Anniversary Good Neighbor Gala

Race for Our Community

Program

Honoring

Activities

• Thought-provoking films that positively represent the mental health community • Free lunch • Filmmakers’ Q&A

May 5th

• Michael F. Hogan, Ph.D., NYS Commissioner of Mental Health • Kiumarz Geula • Mark Reed and Benjamin Warnke, Principals, Alembic Community Development • Peter L. Woll Architect, P.C.

May 24th

• • • • •

5K run 1 mile walk Dog walk Party at Battery Park Prizes and t-shirt giveaways

October 13th

For more details about these and other upcoming events, visit www.communityaccess.org

NYC Mental Health Film Festival

A Day at the Movies

Good Neighbor Gala Meet our 2012 Honorees

Spring/Summer 2012

Homework and Hope

Sh are ida Spe n c e r s h are s h ow b e in g c a lle d i n t o t he Pr in c ipal’s of f ic e c h an g e d h e r l if e f o re ve r.

CEO’S LETTER

YOUTH PROGRAM

Homework

& Hope

De a r Fr i e n d s , Welcome to the Spring/Summer 2012 edition of C, the magazine of Community Access. You might be thinking, “Why does an agency like Community Access need a magazine? Isn’t a website or Facebook enough? Aren’t magazines old fashioned?” Fair questions and I love the Internet and new media as much as the next person (O.K., maybe not as much as a “Millennial/Generation Y” youngster, but I hold my own in my age group). Print media, despite its reported demise, can still be very effective in telling a story, and this issue features a great lead story about Shareida Spencer, one of our tenants, with words and pictures that linger long after you finish reading. Magazines are also a great way to share and explain exciting plans, such as our new event “Race for Our Community,” New York City’s first ever 5K run/walk/ dog walk to benefit a charity, which we’ll be holding on October 13th. And if ever a picture could be worth a thousand words, check out the one above! The happy scene is of our March 8th ribbon cutting for Cedar Avenue Apartments in the Bronx: the culmination of much hard work, and a celebration of our newest award-winning supportive housing program.

Related to this, our Good Neighbor Gala on May 24th will honor our co-developer for Cedar Avenue, Alembic Community Development; the architect, Peter L. Woll; and lead funder, the New York State Office of Mental Health. We will also be giving long-overdue recognition to our partner, Kiumarz Geula, who developed an innovative new project on Third Avenue in the Bronx. Finally, through this issue of C magazine, we’re delighted to bring you news of our upcoming 8th Annual NYC Mental Health Film Festival on May 5th. Please stop by–it’s only ten bucks for seven films and you’re sure to meet some interesting people! – S t e v e Co e , Ch ie f E x e c u t i v e O ff i c e r

38 Years of Neighbors Coming Together

C Magazine Publisher: Steve Coe, Chief Executive Officer John Williams, Director of Development and Communications • Jon Curtis, Communications Specialist • Jennifer Jacobs, Graphic Designer CA Photography by Sean Sime • Crazy and Proud Photography by Lowell Handler & Roxanne Jarrett Community Access, Inc. • 2 Washington Street, 9th Floor • New York, NY 10004 • Email: news@communityaccess.org • © 2012 Community Access

F

or most high school students, being called into the Principal’s office usually spells trouble. For Community Access tenant Shareida Spencer, however, it was nothing less than the start of a whole new life. As he still tries to do at least once a week, School Principal Anthony Lodico was at the front door of the Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn greeting students as they arrived in the morning. It was the usual rustling of sneakers and bags, with some students shuffling and solemn, while others were wide awake and cheery. When Shareida Spencer sloped by, Anthony knew right away that something was up. Usually such a strong presence, she suddenly looked hesitant, fractured… meek. Today, though hundreds of mornings and many thousands of students later, it’s a moment that Anthony can still vividly recall. “I brought Shareida into my office,” he explains, “and that’s when she broke down. She told me that she had slept in the park in Coney Island that night, and that she hadn’t done her homework because ‘the streets lights weren’t bright enough.’” Anthony already knew about Shareida’s tendency to “blow up” in front of some other teachers, but for the first time he started to hear some of the compelling reasons why. “This wasn’t just someone having a bad week,” he remembers thinking, “it was a bad few years.”

“

Before Community Access, I was going through a lot of family issues, on the street, homeless…I found it hard to focus, and my family wasn’t giving me what I needed for me to feel safe.

”

–Shareida

CEO’S LETTER

YOUTH PROGRAM

Homework

& Hope

De a r Fr i e n d s , Welcome to the Spring/Summer 2012 edition of C, the magazine of Community Access. You might be thinking, “Why does an agency like Community Access need a magazine? Isn’t a website or Facebook enough? Aren’t magazines old fashioned?” Fair questions and I love the Internet and new media as much as the next person (O.K., maybe not as much as a “Millennial/Generation Y” youngster, but I hold my own in my age group). Print media, despite its reported demise, can still be very effective in telling a story, and this issue features a great lead story about Shareida Spencer, one of our tenants, with words and pictures that linger long after you finish reading. Magazines are also a great way to share and explain exciting plans, such as our new event “Race for Our Community,” New York City’s first ever 5K run/walk/ dog walk to benefit a charity, which we’ll be holding on October 13th. And if ever a picture could be worth a thousand words, check out the one above! The happy scene is of our March 8th ribbon cutting for Cedar Avenue Apartments in the Bronx: the culmination of much hard work, and a celebration of our newest award-winning supportive housing program.

Related to this, our Good Neighbor Gala on May 24th will honor our co-developer for Cedar Avenue, Alembic Community Development; the architect, Peter L. Woll; and lead funder, the New York State Office of Mental Health. We will also be giving long-overdue recognition to our partner, Kiumarz Geula, who developed an innovative new project on Third Avenue in the Bronx. Finally, through this issue of C magazine, we’re delighted to bring you news of our upcoming 8th Annual NYC Mental Health Film Festival on May 5th. Please stop by–it’s only ten bucks for seven films and you’re sure to meet some interesting people! – S t e v e Co e , Ch ie f E x e c u t i v e O ff i c e r

38 Years of Neighbors Coming Together

C Magazine Publisher: Steve Coe, Chief Executive Officer John Williams, Director of Development and Communications • Jon Curtis, Communications Specialist • Jennifer Jacobs, Graphic Designer CA Photography by Sean Sime • Crazy and Proud Photography by Lowell Handler & Roxanne Jarrett Community Access, Inc. • 2 Washington Street, 9th Floor • New York, NY 10004 • Email: news@communityaccess.org • © 2012 Community Access

F

or most high school students, being called into the Principal’s office usually spells trouble. For Community Access tenant Shareida Spencer, however, it was nothing less than the start of a whole new life. As he still tries to do at least once a week, School Principal Anthony Lodico was at the front door of the Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn greeting students as they arrived in the morning. It was the usual rustling of sneakers and bags, with some students shuffling and solemn, while others were wide awake and cheery. When Shareida Spencer sloped by, Anthony knew right away that something was up. Usually such a strong presence, she suddenly looked hesitant, fractured… meek. Today, though hundreds of mornings and many thousands of students later, it’s a moment that Anthony can still vividly recall. “I brought Shareida into my office,” he explains, “and that’s when she broke down. She told me that she had slept in the park in Coney Island that night, and that she hadn’t done her homework because ‘the streets lights weren’t bright enough.’” Anthony already knew about Shareida’s tendency to “blow up” in front of some other teachers, but for the first time he started to hear some of the compelling reasons why. “This wasn’t just someone having a bad week,” he remembers thinking, “it was a bad few years.”

“

Before Community Access, I was going through a lot of family issues, on the street, homeless…I found it hard to focus, and my family wasn’t giving me what I needed for me to feel safe.

”

–Shareida

YOUTH PROGRAM

“

Everyone here was so excited when they heard Shareida had a place and some stability. People were coming down, asking to donate stuff for her apartment – teachers, and counselors, and cafeteria workers, everyone.

”

–Anthony Lodico Good intentions weren’t enough. Shareida was at such a low ebb, she could only afford to count on actions – progress, something concrete to believe in and trust. Thankfully, that’s exactly what she got. Over the coming months, Anthony empowered Shareida by connecting her to support systems for young people aging out of foster care: help that eventually led Shareida to Community Access, where she successfully applied to be a tenant at our housing program for young people aged 18 to 25. She finally got the security of her own lease. Her own key. Her own home.

Shareida’s life had been full of rejection and loss. Her birth parents were a destructive influence and largely absent. Foster homes came and went, and adults were seldom, if ever, a source of love and affection – let alone trustworthy or dependable. The one foster mother who had been a positive role model sadly died when Shareida was still only 12. A seasoned educator, and eager for his large city school – with over 4,000 students – to “feel like a small school where everyone has someone they can connect with,” Anthony resolved to do whatever he could to help. Initially, however, Shareida was resistant. She’d heard it all before, and, with each new broken promise and bitter experience, had spent a lifetime building tough, defensive barriers to keep disappointment out.

“

Sometimes you don’t ever get to see the good in you until somebody else sees it first.

”

–Shareida

With ongoing support from Community Access staff, Shareida got a new set of mentors, too: like Anthony before, adults who were ready, willing and able to champion her cause, and who believed in her innate ability to build a better future. Though unaccustomed to having such faith invested in her, somehow Shareida knew instinctively to rise to the challenge. She didn’t want to let anybody down. Not Anthony. Not her new support system. And, most of all, not herself. Shareida’s days of “blowing up” were over. Sure, there’d still be setbacks and frustrations – but no longer would they win. Instead, Shareida learned how to properly apply herself in class, and how, in a wider sense, to be her own greatest advocate for change. Thanks to generous donations from the staff at her school, Shareida even got to experience the joy of making her new place her own.

Better still, in June 2010, Shareida finished high school – with her Principal giving her the honor of welcoming the audience and introducing him onstage at the graduation ceremony, in front of several thousand people. He couldn’t have been any prouder, and Shareida’s own satisfaction was made all the sweeter by the many hardships leading to it. Looking back, she reflects, “you have to get to unhappiness to see what happiness really is.” Appreciative of unexpected opportunities and eager to keep them in her grasp, Shareida is, at last, confident and full of purpose. Enrolled at Borough of Manhattan Community College, and majoring in Early Childhood Development, she intends to become a guidance counselor – so that one day she too can help others like herself. From experience, she knows how big a difference other people make. “Sometimes,” Shareida says, “you don’t ever get to see the good in you until somebody else sees it first.” Through an affordable housing collaboration with Community League of the Heights (CLOTH), Community Access provides on-site social services, counseling, and life skills development for a group of young people ages 18 to 25 who have aged out of the foster care system and are preparing for adulthood and life on their own. Studies show the pressing need for such a program: at present, one in six young people aging out of foster care ends up homeless.

YOUTH PROGRAM

“

Everyone here was so excited when they heard Shareida had a place and some stability. People were coming down, asking to donate stuff for her apartment – teachers, and counselors, and cafeteria workers, everyone.

”

–Anthony Lodico Good intentions weren’t enough. Shareida was at such a low ebb, she could only afford to count on actions – progress, something concrete to believe in and trust. Thankfully, that’s exactly what she got. Over the coming months, Anthony empowered Shareida by connecting her to support systems for young people aging out of foster care: help that eventually led Shareida to Community Access, where she successfully applied to be a tenant at our housing program for young people aged 18 to 25. She finally got the security of her own lease. Her own key. Her own home.

Shareida’s life had been full of rejection and loss. Her birth parents were a destructive influence and largely absent. Foster homes came and went, and adults were seldom, if ever, a source of love and affection – let alone trustworthy or dependable. The one foster mother who had been a positive role model sadly died when Shareida was still only 12. A seasoned educator, and eager for his large city school – with over 4,000 students – to “feel like a small school where everyone has someone they can connect with,” Anthony resolved to do whatever he could to help. Initially, however, Shareida was resistant. She’d heard it all before, and, with each new broken promise and bitter experience, had spent a lifetime building tough, defensive barriers to keep disappointment out.

“

Sometimes you don’t ever get to see the good in you until somebody else sees it first.

”

–Shareida

With ongoing support from Community Access staff, Shareida got a new set of mentors, too: like Anthony before, adults who were ready, willing and able to champion her cause, and who believed in her innate ability to build a better future. Though unaccustomed to having such faith invested in her, somehow Shareida knew instinctively to rise to the challenge. She didn’t want to let anybody down. Not Anthony. Not her new support system. And, most of all, not herself. Shareida’s days of “blowing up” were over. Sure, there’d still be setbacks and frustrations – but no longer would they win. Instead, Shareida learned how to properly apply herself in class, and how, in a wider sense, to be her own greatest advocate for change. Thanks to generous donations from the staff at her school, Shareida even got to experience the joy of making her new place her own.

Better still, in June 2010, Shareida finished high school – with her Principal giving her the honor of welcoming the audience and introducing him onstage at the graduation ceremony, in front of several thousand people. He couldn’t have been any prouder, and Shareida’s own satisfaction was made all the sweeter by the many hardships leading to it. Looking back, she reflects, “you have to get to unhappiness to see what happiness really is.” Appreciative of unexpected opportunities and eager to keep them in her grasp, Shareida is, at last, confident and full of purpose. Enrolled at Borough of Manhattan Community College, and majoring in Early Childhood Development, she intends to become a guidance counselor – so that one day she too can help others like herself. From experience, she knows how big a difference other people make. “Sometimes,” Shareida says, “you don’t ever get to see the good in you until somebody else sees it first.” Through an affordable housing collaboration with Community League of the Heights (CLOTH), Community Access provides on-site social services, counseling, and life skills development for a group of young people ages 18 to 25 who have aged out of the foster care system and are preparing for adulthood and life on their own. Studies show the pressing need for such a program: at present, one in six young people aging out of foster care ends up homeless.

RACE DAY

RACE DAY On 10-13-2012, our community comes together… Mark your calendars on Saturday, October 13th for the Race for Our Community—New York City’s first-ever 5K Run/1 mile Walk/Dog Walk event. Whether you want to reach personal fitness goals, take “Fido” out for a walk on the town, or be the first to cross the finish line—this is one event where every step you take matters.

Manhattan Chelsea

Every year, nearly 2,000 individuals overcoming mental illness and homelessness count on Community Access for a home, job opportunities, education, pet therapy and adoption, creative arts workshops, hot meals, and much more! When you participate in the Race for Our Community, you join a group of caring neighbors who are here to help us make an even bigger difference in people’s lives!

Two Bridges

Do Good

Register online at www.raceforourcommunity.org for the run, walk or dog walk. Follow the steps to set up your personal fundraising page, and set a goal to raise $100, $200, or whatever you can in support of Community Access.

Battery Park

Meet Neighbors

On race day, you’ll be a part of a special celebration in New York City, and you’ll meet many neighbors along the way who have also been training for the event and helping raise support for Community Access. When you cross the finish line, enjoy our Party at Battery Park, which includes good food, prizes, t-shirt giveaways, and a few other surprises too!

FINISH LINE / PARTY LOCATION!

Transform Lives

100% of the funds you raise helps support the programs of Community Access.

Did you know? • Exercising, eating right, and managing heart-health risk factors increase energy, decrease stress, help us sleep better, and make us feel better all around!

• A 5K run is 3.1 miles. This may sound like a long distance, but no matter what your age or shape, it’s possible

10-13-2012 www.RaceForOurCommunity.org

to reach the finish line through preparation. Check out the “Race for Our Community” training schedule online!

• Pets can help improve people’s moods, relieve anxiety and offer friendship and unconditional love. Visit our race website to learn more about the power of pets in the lives of Community Access mental health participants.

• Generally speaking, most dogs need 30 to 60 minutes of exercise each day. Why not spend October 13th with your fellow pet lovers walking for a great cause?

• If you have questions about the Race for Our Community, please call John Williams at 212-780-1400, ext. 7772, or email jwilliams@communityaccess.org.

RACE DAY

RACE DAY On 10-13-2012, our community comes together… Mark your calendars on Saturday, October 13th for the Race for Our Community—New York City’s first-ever 5K Run/1 mile Walk/Dog Walk event. Whether you want to reach personal fitness goals, take “Fido” out for a walk on the town, or be the first to cross the finish line—this is one event where every step you take matters.

Manhattan Chelsea

Every year, nearly 2,000 individuals overcoming mental illness and homelessness count on Community Access for a home, job opportunities, education, pet therapy and adoption, creative arts workshops, hot meals, and much more! When you participate in the Race for Our Community, you join a group of caring neighbors who are here to help us make an even bigger difference in people’s lives!

Two Bridges

Do Good

Register online at www.raceforourcommunity.org for the run, walk or dog walk. Follow the steps to set up your personal fundraising page, and set a goal to raise $100, $200, or whatever you can in support of Community Access.

Battery Park

Meet Neighbors

On race day, you’ll be a part of a special celebration in New York City, and you’ll meet many neighbors along the way who have also been training for the event and helping raise support for Community Access. When you cross the finish line, enjoy our Party at Battery Park, which includes good food, prizes, t-shirt giveaways, and a few other surprises too!

FINISH LINE / PARTY LOCATION!

Transform Lives

100% of the funds you raise helps support the programs of Community Access.

Did you know? • Exercising, eating right, and managing heart-health risk factors increase energy, decrease stress, help us sleep better, and make us feel better all around!

• A 5K run is 3.1 miles. This may sound like a long distance, but no matter what your age or shape, it’s possible

10-13-2012 www.RaceForOurCommunity.org

to reach the finish line through preparation. Check out the “Race for Our Community” training schedule online!

• Pets can help improve people’s moods, relieve anxiety and offer friendship and unconditional love. Visit our race website to learn more about the power of pets in the lives of Community Access mental health participants.

• Generally speaking, most dogs need 30 to 60 minutes of exercise each day. Why not spend October 13th with your fellow pet lovers walking for a great cause?

• If you have questions about the Race for Our Community, please call John Williams at 212-780-1400, ext. 7772, or email jwilliams@communityaccess.org.

3 8 t h

I

’m

GOOD NEIGHBOR

proud to be chairing the Good Neighbor Gala and am delighted to introduce you to the esteemed group of individuals whom Community Access will be honoring at this year’s event. It takes a whole lot of good neighbors for Community Access to make such an important difference to nearly 2,000 people’s lives every year. Our honorees accepting the Advocate, Leadership and Partnership Awards truly exemplify what it means to be good neighbors. David Kuperberg, Gala Chair CEO, Cooper Square Realty

A n n i v e r s a r y

Dr. Michael F. Hogan, this year’s recipient of our prestigious Advocate Award, has been Commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Health since 2007. Over the course of a long and distinguished career dedicated to public service, he has proved himself to be a true champion of the mental health community— including as Director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health (1991-2007), as Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Mental Health (1987-1991), and in numerous expert advisory roles relating to national mental health policy.

Our 2012 Leadership Award goes to Kiumarz Geula, an entrepreneur and the private developer who built the Las Casas affordable housing programs in the South Bronx in 2009. Through an innovative partnership between Kiumarz Geula and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Community Access is proud to provide on-site social services for a group of mental health consumer tenants. In addition to providing affordable housing to New Yorkers most in need, these beautiful buildings have brought in new businesses and amenities, which have sparked a transformation in the neighborhood.

GA L A Receiving our Partnership Award are (from left to right) Peter L. Woll, Mark Reed, and Benjamin Warnke, in recognition of their outstanding contributions to Community Access’ newest building: Cedar Avenue Apartments, a $38 million, 106-unit mixed tenancy development in the Morris Heights neighborhood of the Bronx, and itself a recent recipient of a “Supportive Housing Project Champion Award” from the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH). Peter was the architect of this building, and Mark and Benjamin are Principals of its co-developer Alembic Community Development.

Meet Our 2012 Honorees

Community “Access isn’t

just housing: it’s a home.

”

-Dina Tomasheski, tenant

3 8 t h

I

’m

GOOD NEIGHBOR

proud to be chairing the Good Neighbor Gala and am delighted to introduce you to the esteemed group of individuals whom Community Access will be honoring at this year’s event. It takes a whole lot of good neighbors for Community Access to make such an important difference to nearly 2,000 people’s lives every year. Our honorees accepting the Advocate, Leadership and Partnership Awards truly exemplify what it means to be good neighbors. David Kuperberg, Gala Chair CEO, Cooper Square Realty

A n n i v e r s a r y

Dr. Michael F. Hogan, this year’s recipient of our prestigious Advocate Award, has been Commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Health since 2007. Over the course of a long and distinguished career dedicated to public service, he has proved himself to be a true champion of the mental health community— including as Director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health (1991-2007), as Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Mental Health (1987-1991), and in numerous expert advisory roles relating to national mental health policy.

Our 2012 Leadership Award goes to Kiumarz Geula, an entrepreneur and the private developer who built the Las Casas affordable housing programs in the South Bronx in 2009. Through an innovative partnership between Kiumarz Geula and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Community Access is proud to provide on-site social services for a group of mental health consumer tenants. In addition to providing affordable housing to New Yorkers most in need, these beautiful buildings have brought in new businesses and amenities, which have sparked a transformation in the neighborhood.

GA L A Receiving our Partnership Award are (from left to right) Peter L. Woll, Mark Reed, and Benjamin Warnke, in recognition of their outstanding contributions to Community Access’ newest building: Cedar Avenue Apartments, a $38 million, 106-unit mixed tenancy development in the Morris Heights neighborhood of the Bronx, and itself a recent recipient of a “Supportive Housing Project Champion Award” from the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH). Peter was the architect of this building, and Mark and Benjamin are Principals of its co-developer Alembic Community Development.

Meet Our 2012 Honorees

Community “Access isn’t

just housing: it’s a home.

”

-Dina Tomasheski, tenant

Lowell Handler: INTERVIEW WITH FILMAKER

Community Access & NYAPRS present the

CRAZY AND PROUD

Together

Nei g h b o r h o o d

FESTIVAL

H u m a n R i g hts

FILM

CREATIVITY

Healing

Community Future

I m a g i na ti o n

Recovery HOPE

Possibility

8th Annual NYC Mental Health

This Year’s Special Theme: Crisis Intervention – Interacting with the Police

Films: COMMUNITY ACCESS: LIVES MADE POSSIBLE Hosted by Oscar-nominated actress Gabourey Sidibe (“Precious”), these are the personal stories of New Yorkers overcoming mental health struggles, homelessness, and trauma. (12 min) BURNING BLOSSOM A previously suicidal teenager turns to art and filmmaking to aid her recovery. (7 min) MENTAL ILLNESS IS NOT A CRIME Grassroots activism in action: the case for Crisis Intervention Teams in NYC. (13 min) THE INTERVENTIONISTS Crisis Intervention in Toronto, Canada: 911 calls as responded to by a psychiatric nurse. (31 min) GEORGIA CRISIS INTERVENTION TEAM A police training video: how Crisis Intervention Teams’ work and why they’re so important. (10 min) VOICES OF RECOVERY Overcoming mental illness: the power of hope and the promise of recovery. (52 min) CRAZY AND PROUD One man’s attempt to bring photography to the mentally ill women of an NYC shelter. (6 min)

Lowell Handler first shot to national prominence as the star and narrator of the Emmy-nominated PBS television documentary Twitch & Shout. It reflected on his own experience of having Tourette syndrome, and also led to a memoir of the same name. His latest project is Crazy and Proud: the subject of a short film that will screen at the 8th Annual NYC Mental Health Film Festival. Here, Lowell joins us to share some thoughts about both the festival and the film. How did you first hear about Community Access? In 1994 a friend told me about Community Access’ new flagship residence at Gouverneur Court. I ended up working there for a couple of years as a recreation specialist – actually my first ever job in social services.

How do you think New York City could better serve the interests of mentally ill and homeless New Yorkers? Better services. Better shelters. Intensive case management. We should make sure that people and their problems don’t just fall through the cracks. That takes time.

This is your first time at our Mental Health Film Festival – what do you hope to take away from it? I’m looking forward to having a good time and to seeing some interesting films. Hopefully my film and the festival as a whole will reach a broad audience, and can play a role in positively raising the general public’s consciousness about mental health issues.

The e-book of Crazy and Proud will be available on May 5th at www.crazyandproud.com, including for e-readers and smart phones. The associated short film version was directed, edited, and filmed by Devin Pickering.

Tell us about Crazy and Proud. What is it about? It’s an e-book project, which includes audio, video, text, and photographs, about a New York inner-city shelter for mentally ill women, where I was hired as a recreation worker to teach photography. I got to hear the stories of these women and found them to be incredibly compelling – tragic in many ways but also full of hope. In the past, you’ve documented your own experience of having Tourette syndrome – does Crazy and Proud also reflect on that? Definitely. It helped the women in the shelter to trust me and made it easier for them to explain what they were going through. And it also helped me to realize that Tourette syndrome is not the worst thing in the world. You find ways of overcoming difficulties – and that’s something I recognized in the shelter women, too.

For more info + tickets ($5 in advance; $10 at the door), visit www.nycmentalhealthfilmfestival.com

Saturday, May 5th, 2012 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. 182 Remsen Street St. Francis College Brooklyn Heights, NY 11201