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Community Corner

Stark County Mental Health Professionals, Volunteers, Peers Honored

The NAMI Stark County Affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) recently honored individual achievement at its 5th Annual Celebration Of Volunteerism, Wellness and Recovery.

 

Richard Berube and Sheryl Falcone were named Terry McKnight Volunteers of the Year.

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Richard, who was honored as Family Volunteer of the Year, is operations and human resources director at Omni Orthopedics. He has volunteered for nearly a decade as an educator and support group facilitator for both the NAMI Family-to-Family program for those who have family members living with mental illness and the Alliance Support Group for family members and peers. Accepting the award, Richard said, “I have a real passion for this work, but I get as much out of this as I ever give, and I applaud all of those who give their time.” 

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Sheryl, the Peer Volunteer of the Year, was nominated for dedication to “pay it forward” after having been a participant in a NAMI education program. Said Sheryl, “I attended a NAMI Hand to Hand class for parents caring for children with special needs and mental illness. I couldn’t thank NAMI Stark County enough for helping me with my son, and so I donate my time to help other parents.” Sheryl is a NAMI Peer to Peer and Basics class teacher; a peer mentor; co-facilitator for Crisis Intervention and Recovery Center Crisis Stabilization Unit Family Involvement Support Group; and participates in the Crisis Intervention Training to help police officers and dispatchers better understand those living with mental illness.

 

Steve Thomas was named Professional of the Year.

 

Steve served as Clinical Director at Coleman Behavior Health during the acquisition of Trillium Family Solutions in 2013. He was instrumental in the transfer of many of Trillium’s 2,000 patients to Coleman, and according to NAMI director Jane James, “He was nominated by his co-workers for his role in taking on that tremendous obligation and providing a smooth transfer for the clients affected by that change.”

 

Steve received a loud round of applause from those in attendance at the event when he summed up the last year by saying, “I’ve learned that we are so very very fragile, yet we are also very very strong.”

 

Frank Aquino, Gary Arellano, Nicole Herndon and Lisa Huston were honored as Peers of the Year.

 

These four were nominated by area mental health agencies and professionals for their perseverance and success in managing their own illness and assisting others in doing the same.  Peers have the unique position to help others by using their lived experience.

           

Frank is a Certified Peer Specialist and team leader at Hunter House where he works with residents during their recovery and helps them maintain housing. Gary was nominated by his case manager to recognize the successes of his recovery journey. Lisa is a Social Worker and Certified Peer Specialist at Heartland Behavioral Health, working with patients at the state hospital.  Nicole is a Certified Peer Specialist at the Crisis Intervention and Recovery Center Crisis Stabilization Unit and co-facilitator for that organization’s Family Involvement Support Group. She summed up their achievements when she shared her own story of recovery, saying “I never thought I’d be able to work, but now I’m doing a job I absolutely love.”

 

The National Alliance on Mental Illness is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. NAMI advocates for access to services, treatment, support and research and is steadfast in its commitment to raise awareness and build a community of hope for all of those in need. NAMI Stark County, an affiliate of the national organization, provides free recovery-oriented programming for those living with mental illness and their families.  For more information, visit www.namistarkcounty.org or contact the office at330 455-6264 or namistark@namistarkcounty.org

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