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DALLAS, TX
125 sunset avenue PERMIT NO. 2174
dallas, texas 75208
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Empowering Adults Recovering From Serious Mental Illness through Community, Faith, and Best Practice Interventions

THE WELL

community update :: september 2010

community The Reward of Hard Work

update Community Members are Learning the Joys of Employment
Contributed by Joshua Pulis, Program Director Annual Fall
In the Hebrew Scriptures, Solomon wrote, “From the fruit of their lips people are filled
with good things, and the work of their hands brings them reward” (Proverbs 12:14 –
Fundraiser
TNIV). Here at the Well, we are implementing a new program to help our members live
out this truth. The Transitional Employment (TE) program is an integral part of the Save-the-Date — Nov 5
Community Partner Spotlight :: Evelyn and Diann Clubhouse model. We were designed to be productive and created to live with a sense November is fast approaching, and with it
by Jennifer Stanton, Community Member of purpose. Every day, through focusing on their strengths, Community Members are our annual Fall fundraising breakfast at
being encouraged to believe that they are capable of doing great things. Park Cities Baptist Church. Please save
Evelyn Simmons and Diann Warnock, long time members of Cliff Temple Baptist Church,
have been volunteering at the Well for the last 3½ years. These women provide our the date for Friday, November 5th. Last
The TE program was designed for Community Members who are ready to seek gainful
lunch meal every other Tuesday. They like to meet at the Charcoal Broiler to plan nutri- year’s event was a great success, and we
employment outside the Clubhouse. The program helps members transition from un-
tious, economical meals for 40 people. They shop together and take turns preparing the were thrilled to have raised more than
paid work in the Clubhouse toward full-time employment in the community. We are
main entrée each time. $125,000 in gifts and pledges, helping
currently seeking prospective employers, looking for part-time jobs. A Well staff mem-
bring Stability Today and Healthier To-
During the winter soups are a staple. Other favorites include King Ranch Chicken, ber is assigned to the position and receives training alongside the member, providing
morrows to the members of the Well.
chicken salad, marinated vegetables, baked beans, and tuna casseroles and Diann’s ongoing support as needed. In addition, the placement manager will cover for the
black-eyed pea salad recipe that has been requested by several peo- Diann and Evelyn member in the event of an absence. Now that we have our first year in the
ple because it is so good. The New York Times and books, we’d love to see this event realize
The Wall Street Journal its full potential in helping to fund our
Despite heavy pans and other challenges, have both given favorable work. With your help, we believe we can
Evelyn and Diann keep on making it
possible for members of the
Our Mission reviews of the Clubhouse garner twice the support of last year’s
model and the TE pro- event.
Well to have a nicely pre- the Well is a community of people working to bring love and health to adults recovering gram in particular, with
pared meal when from serious mental illness, empowering them through community, faith, and best prac- Please contact Jeff Alsup about hosting a
the WSJ calling the TE
they come and tices interventions. table for this free, hour-long breakfast
program “a good deed
we are designed to get the word out about the
and a good deal” for the
We focus on core issues related to mental illness – isolation, hopelessness, poverty – by Well and raise unrestricted funds for our
grateful!
Contact Info: offering our Community Members a restorative environment, healthy relationships, and
employer.
programs. Table hosts simply fill a table
125 Sunset Avenue vocational rehabilitation. of ten by inviting personal contacts to
(Continued on page 3)
Dallas, TX 75208 Featured in the August 2010 hear about the Well. We welcome your
the Well is the only program in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex certified in the club- involvement!
214/393-5878
house model, an internationally recognized best practice of psychosocial and vocational
Info@WellCommunity.net rehabilitation. Jeff@WellCommunity.net
 Coming and Goings Community News + Events
Staff Changes & Additions Garage Sale: Coming Soon! Sabbatical
by Sandra Wilson, Community Member A Community Member team is plan-
ning a garage sale in late September.
During August, Joel Pulis, our foun-
der and Community Pastor, took a
ways to help the
the Well Community Proceeds will benefit our fall retreat. well-deserved sabbatical from his
and its members If you have items to donate, contact work. Thanks for more than eight
welcome Carol Ann Karen@WellCommunity.net and we’ll years of service to the community!
McElhannon as our send you more info.
newest staff mem-
Community Garden
Take Me Out to the Ball Park In May, the Well planted four plots in
ber in the Hospital-
On August 17, the Well attended the Cliff Temple’s Community Garden. Host a Table!
ity Unit. A native of
Fort Worth, Carol Grand Prairie Air Hogs baseball The garden is maintained by Com- Introduce your friends, family, co-workers and
Ann spent time in game. Thanks to Bob Skinner and munity Members as part of our club- neighbors to the Well by inviting them to join you for
South Africa as a Tom Hart, Grand Prairie’s City Man- house programming. The harvest is an inspirational and entertaining breakfast. Email Jeff
child with her missionary parents. She is the ager, for providing the tickets! beginning to come in and benefits Alsup at Jeff@WellCommunity.net to sign up to be a
oldest of four siblings, and became a Chris- our weekday lunch program. table host for our free November 5th event.
Donated Vans
tian at 21 following a revival at a friend’s
house. Over the summer, First Baptist
(photos opposite; clockwise from top left:
Joe & Joshua watering in the plants in early CERTIFIABLE!!! Hire a Community Member!
Church of Farmers Branch donated May, “first fruits”, James with our first
Carol Ann has extensive experience in the two vans to the community. The summer squash, and lunch prep for a the Well’s weekday program is now certified by the In-
We are looking for part-time employment for mem-
mental health field, having served as a case- vehicles will help with member weekday meal in the Community Center) ternational Center for Clubhouse Development (ICCD).
bers of the Well. Positions are fully supported by a
worker for one of the largest service provid- transport, especially on community In July, we had two ICCD Faculty members spend the
Following the Well week with us.
Well staff member, and no benefits are needed. 10-
ers in Dallas. She has advocated for better outings. Thanks for the gift! 15 hour per week jobs are preferred, in fields such as
boarding house living conditions for people Facebook: the Well Community The team shared that “the Well is one of the strongest warehouse, clerical, janitorial, food service or land-
living with mental illness, and dreams of one Prevalence of Mental Illness Tumblr: wellcommunity.tumblr.com clubs we have ever seen” and predicted that we are destined to be a leader scaping. Email Joshua Pulis with any questions:
day owning and operating a boarding house According to the National Alliance on Twitter: twitter.com/well_community in mental health recovery “in Texas and around the world.” Needless to say, Josh@WellCommunity.net
of her own. She would love to have a place Mental Illness, twice as many Ameri- we were excited by the affirmation and feedback!
where “everyone hears about God and sal- cans live with schizophrenia than
vation and no one goes hungry.” with HIV/AIDS. Approximately 2 mil-
lion in the U.S. live with the disease.
Introduce your Church!
Her favorite passage of scripture is Romans
8:37-39. As such, she works tirelessly to call Rewards... (Continued from page 1) We’d love for your church to know about the work
of the Well. Our Community Pastor, Joel Pulis,
our members to live the truth that “we are To date, four of our members have been put to work. Member Lyndon is available to preach or speak to larger groups
more than conquerors through him who
loves us” and stand firm in the belief that Mid-Year Financial Update Sillings and the TE program were featured in the August issue of Advocate
Magazine (see http://oakcliff.advocatemag.com/2020/07/drawing-from-
about Jesus’ call to serve “the least of these.”
Contact him at Joel@WellCommunity.net
nothing “will be able to separate us from the As with many nonprofit organizations, we have felt the-well/). The article highlighted Lyndon’s six month TE placement at Stan-
love of God that is in Christ our Lord.” the pinch of the sluggish economy over the last sev- dard Supply, the first employer to partner with the Well. Following his place-
eral months. We are grateful for our faithful donors, ment, Standard kept the TE placement open for another member but cre-
Welcome! We are glad to have you!
without whose sacrificial giving we would be unable ated a new position for Lyndon, offering him a full time job in another de- Engage your Employer!
to continue offering hope to those living with mental partment within the company. Go Lyndon! He’s three months away from Did you know that many corporations match
As we welcome Carol Ann, we also say fare- illness. qualifying for full benefits. donations you make to nonprofit organizations?
well to long time staff member Pat Barnes. Contact your employer today about the possibility
Pat served the members of the Well faith- We continue to count on your generous support to carry on the work of Pray for the Well to secure additional positions. We have more Well mem- of multiplying your gift to the Well.
fully, first as a regular volunteer, then as our the Well. Through June 2010 our income was under budget by some bers who would like to return to employment than we have TE placements.
$42,000. We have been able to trim expenses such that we have main- Peter Drucker said, “Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately Just send Jeff an email (Jeff@WellCommunity.net)
Food Service Coordinator and most recently
tained a level of spending that matches our income, but we are in need of degenerate into hard work.” Help us roll up our sleeves this fall and and he will send you all the info you need to help!
as a Clubhouse Generalist. We are grateful
for her years of dedication and her generous an additional $200,000 to take us into 2011 in a place of financial health find additional Transitional Employment placements.
spirit toward the members of our commu- and strength. Please consider making an additional gift today. If you are an employer, or know of an
nity. We offer Pat many blessings as she Will you partner with us to provide life-giving services to God’s people? employer looking for work- Pray!
returns to Houston and seeks what God is ers, please let us know. We send out a regular prayer email asking
calling her to next. Thanks, Pat! the larger community to celebrate what God
is doing in our midst and calling our supporters to
pray on our behalf. Contact Karen Edwards
at Prayer@WellCommunity.net if you’d like
to be added to the list of recipients.
We love because he first loved us. If we say we love God yet hate a brother or sister, we are liars. For if we do not love a fellow
fel believer,
whom we have seen, we cannot love God, whom we have not seen. — 1 John 4:19-20 20 (TNIV)