the Bert Nash Community
VOL. 8, ISSUE 4
N E W S L E T T E R
December 2015
WRAP gets anonymous gift 200 MAINE STREET
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LAWRENCE, KS 66044
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(785) 843-9192
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www.bertnash.org
Since 1950, the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center has advanced the mental health of the Douglas County community through comprehensive behavioral services responsive to evolving need and changing environments.
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uring the past three years, more than 1,600 people have attended a Discover Bert Nash event — a community outreach program that highlights stories about people whose lives have been changed through services they received at the mental health center. At each of the more than 100 Discover Bert Nash events that have been held, one of the recovery stories that is shared involves WRAP (Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilities), a program that places a mental health clinician in schools. It would be hard to calculate the impact of sharing stories about people whose lives have been changed because of Bert Nash, but after every Discover event at least people leave knowing more about the mental health services available to residents of Douglas County. They may even be moved to help support the work of the Center. One such person, who chose to remain anonymous, after attending one of the Discover Bert Nash events, donated $50,000 to the Bert Nash Center. The money was earmarked for the WRAP program. “That was gratifying to get that gift,” said Bert Nash CEO David Johnson. “We have been working to tell the story about WRAP and the importance of providing services to kids. The donor preferred to remain anonymous, so all we can do is assume they had connected with WRAP in some way. We’re using the gift as a continued incentive to make sure we are telling the story about WRAP, because you never know how it will touch people. But I think the increased funding is a direct result of sharing our story.” On the behalf of the WRAP program and the entire Center, Johnson expressed gratitude for the generosity of the anonymous gift. “You’d like to be able to go to this
Charlie Kuszmaul,WRAP coordinator
For information and upcoming dates for Discover Bert Nash, visit bertnash.org.
person and say thank you, because we are so excited to receive this gift and we are so thankful to the donor,” the Bert Nash CEO said. “This gift will make a big difference in the WRAP program.” The $50,000 donation will be used to help fund a WRAP position for the first time at Bishop Seabury Academy. There was a time when there was a WRAP worker in every school in Dou-
glas County. But because of the loss of grant money and funding cuts, the program was scaled back. Charlie Kuszmaul, WRAP coordinator, is grateful for the financial support that will help the WRAP program to expand again. Besides the $50,000 donation, the city of Lawrence has included $335,000 for the WRAP program in its 2016 budget. The city money will fund five new WRAP positions. “In Lawrence, we’ve been out of the elementary schools since 2008,” Bert Nash CEO Johnson said. “This will be an opportunity to see children in the elementary schools again, which has been a real concern.” Bert Nash is working closely with the Lawrence School District to determine the placement of the additional WRAP clinicians. Currently, there is a WRAP clinician at both high schools and all four middle schools in Lawrence, as well as Bishop Seabury Academy. There is also a WRAP clinician at the Eudora Elementary School and Bert Nash has a full-time child and family therapist in Eudora. “It is always about where you can do the most good and help the most kids,” WRAP team leader Kuszmaul said. Janice Storey, Child and Family Services director at the Bert Nash Center, is grateful for the local support that keeps the WRAP program growing, because the needs of kids are also growing. “This really speaks to the city’s commitment to making sure the children in this area are getting their needs met,” Storey said of the city funding for the WRAP program. “And without the partnership with the school district there would not be a WRAP program. So this funding is really good timing and speaks to what the community is willing to do to make sure kids’ needs are met.”
The art of finding hope in life F PAGE 2
or a long time, Sean Sullivan was missing something in his life. Hope. He found it at the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. “I really owe it to Bert Nash for giving me that hope,” he said. “If it weren’t for Bert Nash, I don’t know where I would be.” Sullivan grew up knowing he was different; he just didn’t know why. “I always felt sort of socially isolated and like I didn’t belong,” he said. “I was kind of awkward growing up and not accepted by my peers. So I always struggled with depression.” Sullivan, 34, has lived with serious physical challenges his entire life, Sean Sullivan though they weren’t discovered until he was in his mid 20s. psychiatric hospital.” “I was born with agenesis of the corThe suicide threat was a way to let pus callosum, which means I’m missothers know he was hurting, Sullivan ing the part of the brain that is said. responsible for interpreting and pro“I toyed with the idea of suicide, not cessing information and understandnecessarily to get attention but as a ing instructions,” Sullivan said. “I’m on way of crying out for help,” he said. “I the autistic spectrum. So as well as the had no hope. I could not see through neurologic condition I was born with, I the fog and I didn’t know what else to have a range of learning and mental do other than to say I’m going to end it disabilities. I’ve always kind of seen the all. I didn’t know there was a reason to world differently.” go forward. I didn’t know there were Sullivan began seeing a psychologist people who cared.” when he was 12. Originally, it was Sullivan often had thoughts of wantthought he had attention deficit disoring to kill himself and verbalized it der. He was put on ADD medication often. and antidepressants. It was around that time that he first remembers hav“Those words came out of my mouth ing thoughts about suicide. many times,” he said. “Looking back now, I don’t think I actually meant “I didn’t feel normal. I felt inferior,” those words. It was just a cry for help.” Sullivan said. “I didn’t have much hope After returning to Kansas, Sullivan for a better life for myself.” continued to struggle with substance When he was in high school, Sullivan abuse and depression. He checked began experimenting with drugs. That himself into Stormont-Vail Healthcare went on for about 15 years as he graduin Topeka three times in three years. A ated to harder and harder substances. caseworker at Stormont-Vail referred He was living in Washington, D.C., him to Bert Nash. Sullivan moved into where his mother lived, and working Bridges, a Bert Nash transitional housfor a company that employed people ing facility, and he started going with disabilities when he was fired bethrough the intensive outpatient procause of behavioral problems at work. gram at Bert Nash. After staying a cou“I had a nervous breakdown at work ple of months at Bridges, his Bert Nash and threatened suicide,” he said. “That case manager helped him get his own apartment, which gave him a feeling of was the first time I found myself in a
THE BERT NASH COMMUNITY
independence and pride. Sullivan also started focusing on his art; he does abstract painting. He became involved in Percolator Lawrence, an organization that supports local artists. He’s hoping to organize an exhibit in the spring showcasing his art and that of others who deal with similar struggles. “I would like there to be a show to highlight people with mental illness and disabilities and how art helps to them to cope,” he said. “Even for people who are in the worst situations, things can get better. Having got to the point of desperation, it took me reaching out and asking for help to realize there is hope.” Sullivan has experienced some “hiccups” in his addiction recovery, as he says, but being a part of the arts and mental health community has helped him maintain a meaningful purpose in life. He also shares his story in the hopes it will help other people. “I want to help others who are facing some of the same struggles that I have,” he said. “I have this purpose now. I feel like I am doing something meaningful in the community. I’m doing what I love, and I really owe it to Bert Nash for giving me that hope. If it weren’t for Bert Nash, I don’t know where I would be.”
2016 Mental Health First Aid classes forming. Visit bertnash.org for more info.
THE BERT NASH COMMUNITY
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Building Hope: Celebrating Bert Nash
Adult Services Director Amy Warren, left, hugs Eunice Ruttinger, former Adult Services director who retired in September, at the annual Celebrate Bert Nash fundraising event Nov. 4 at Maceli's Banquet Hall & Catering.
Bert Nash EndowmentTrustee Chair Linda Robinson, left, her son Bret, and John and Cathy Ross.
Reed Dillon, a member of the Bert Nash Governing Board, visits with Brad Burnside, left, Governing Board treasurer, and Steve Glass, Governing Board director.
Bert Nash CEO David Johnson.
Bert Nash Ambassador Anna Oliver.
Bert Nash staff members Julie Berndsen and Andy Jensen perform "Here Comes the Sun."
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Governing Board of Directors
Barbara Ballard Brad Burnside Reed Dillon Jane Fevurly Steve Glass Don Grosdidier Sue Hack David Johnson Cindy Maude, Chair Ken McGovern Bob Morse Elizabeth Sheils
Endowment Trustees
Beverly Billings Jane Fevurly Carol Hatton Kelvin Heck David Johnson Alice Ann Johnston Cindy Maude Michael McGrew Rachel Monger Linda Robinson, Chair Gary Sollars Beth Stella Mike Treanor Kelly Welch Judy Wright
Investment Committee Chris Anderson Carolyn Shelton Chuck Warner Kelly Welch, Chair Jide Wintoki
BERT NASH CENTER 200 Maine Street Lawrence, KS 66044 (785) 843-9192 bertnash.org
Healthy bodies and minds
THE BERT NASH COMMUNITY
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rances Rico believes it is important to practice what she preaches. Rico, who during the school year is a mental health clinician at Liberty Memorial Central Middle School, spends her summers working with youth to help them understand the connection between physical health and mental health. Rico is a member of the WRAP (Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilities) team at Bert Nash, a collaborative program with the Frances Rico and her daughter, Aacia Lawrence School District body and attitude. She has spent the past that places a master’s-level clinician in year or so training for bodybuilding comlocal schools. When school is out of sespetitions. sion, Rico and other WRAP clinicians continue to work with middle school and high “Not only does a healthy lifestyle preschool youth through the Bert Nash sumvent illness and disease, it helps us to feel mer program called Healthy Bodies, better about ourselves and have a better Healthy Minds. There is also a Bert Nash outlook on life,” she said. “That is what my summer program for elementary students. passion is. I always wanted to combine my profession as a social worker and passion Rico has helped develop the secondary for mental health education with my passchool curriculum for the Bert Nash summer program, which meets four days a week sion for fitness education. I want kids to at Free State High School. The eight-week understand there is a strong connection program runs from the beginning of June to between physical health and mental the end of July, but Rico started planning health.” last January for this summer’s program. Thank You to the following: The summer curriculum is a combination of time spent outdoors and classroom Summer 2015 Contributors instruction. Presenters from the commuI The Merc Co-op I Rudy’s Pizzeria nity are also brought in to share their expertise about areas such as meal planning I Dillons I Papa Keno’s and nutrition. I Sprouts Farmers I Sonic Drive-in “We cooked once a week and focused on Market I Eileen's Colossal cooking a healthy meal. We would add I Party America Cookies healthy ingredients or adjust recipes to fit I Chipotle I Acme a healthier dish, such as adding veggies or I Fuzzy's Taco Shop I First Watch using wheat flour versus white,” Rico said. I Juice Stop I Great Harvest “We also had a kick-boxing trainer from I Taco Bell Bread Co. Summit come in to instruct an activity I CiCi’s Pizza with the kids. We utilized our location at Free State to walk to Dillons to discuss afCommunity Support/Agencies fordable ways to shop for healthier food items, and walked to the T-Loft to discuss I The Summit healthy food items they can create at I Lawrence-Douglas County Health home such as smoothies and juices.” I Department Rico knows from firsthand experience I USD 497 Garden Coordinator how exercise and a healthy lifestyle can I Bert Nash Health Connections improve a person’s mental outlook. I The Kansas State Outreach Program Through exercise, nutrition and a healthy I T. Loft lifestyle, Rico has transformed her own