Employment can be an important step in recovering from mental illness in terms of regaining dignity and providing focus and a sense of purpose to people’s lives. However, a 2014 report from the National Alliance on Mental Illness finds that about 80 percent of U.S. residents receiving public mental health services are unemployed. In Florida that unemployment rate stands at 84.7 percent. HOPE Clubhouse of Southwest Florida is combating that problem through its efforts to provide a supportive environment for adults living with mental illness and by providing opportunities for meaningful work.
We’ll take a closer look at HOPE Clubhouse’s work and mission including its new edible Garden of Hope ahead of the non-profit’s mental health symposium “Food for Thought: Feeding the Mind, Body and Soul,” on Oct. 24 at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theater in Fort Myers. We’ll hear from HOPE Clubhouse leadership, the symposium’s keynote speaker and local members getting help through HOPE Clubhouse programs.
Guests:
Cindy Bishop, HOPE Clubhouse member
Dottie Pacharis, Mental Health Advocate/Author/Mental Health Symposium Keynote Speaker and HOPE Clubhouse board member
James Wineinger, MSW, CEO of Hope Clubhouse
