Mission Statement:
With respect and dignity for all, Grapevine Center empowers peers to mentor, inspire and support individuals and families in recovery.
Grapevine Center will advocate for social justice on behalf of all people.
Grapevine Center…blending good people with better choices for the best recovery.
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REMEMBRANCE & CELEBRATION OF LIFE RALLY 2018: MENTAL ILLNESS AWARENESS WEEK GETS REAL AT GRAPEVINE CENTER
County Commissioner Kevin Boozel reads the Butler County Proclamation and presents it to Bette Peoples, Executive Director of Grapevine Center. The lives of eight Grapevine members who had passed on were celebrated and commemorated at the event.
MENTAL ILLNESS AWARENESS WEEK GETS REAL AT GRAPEVINE CENTER
At a touching ceremony on Wednesday October 10th, Grapevine Center highlighted Mental Illness Awareness Week by commemorating the deaths of eight of their members. The keynote speaker was County Commissioner Kevin Boozel who has a background in Mental Health care.
Boozel read the Butler County Proclamation which acknowledges the problem and recognizes Mental Illness Awareness Week, then presented it to Bette Peoples, the executive director of Grapevine Center.
People with mental illnesses die on average 10-20 years earlier than those who do not. This is due to medications, often poor diet, lack of care, poverty, self-medication and drug addiction, among other reasons. Indeed, among those Grapevine members who had passed on were two suicides; one person who had died as a result of falling off the bandwagon back into addiction; and one who possibly died from the effects of his medications. The ages were 36, 39, early 50’s, and two were in their early 60’s. All were taken away too soon.
Boozel observed that there was a false judgement out there that people were impoverished because of bad decisions, or unhealthy or obese because of bad choices in nutrition. What if that poor nutrition is all you can afford? he asked rhetorically. He urged everyone to practice the best nutrition they could afford, and stressed his efforts to achieve fair housing for everyone.
The audience learned that when the state mental institutions like Torrance State Hospital were closed around the country, there were some $3 billion which became redundant. Some of this was re-allocated to community supports, though far less than the $3 billion they had spent previously. The community, and organizations like Grapevine Center, had done a wonderful job of integrating people into the community, but many people were totally dependent on the funds that went into their food, housing, medical care and other support. This, however, is the first area where funds and supports are cut whenever there is an economic crunch.
When it was the turn of family members and friends to pay tribute to the deceased, Allison McKinstry of Erie, a cousin of one deceased member, said she was only now discovering how many people and organizations, especially the Grapevine, had contributed to making Joey’s life bearable and even enjoyable. She “cringed” at the thought of what might have happened to him without their support and care.
The ceremony ended with a candlelight procession a poem and a hymn. The poem emphasized that while those with a mental illness had been dealt a bad hand of cards, the cards themselves did not matter; it was the way they were played that mattered. Scientists have been able to measure the frequencies of emotions, the lowest being shame and guilt, climbing the scale to courage, gratitude, compassion and love. These emotions create a magnetic field (also measurable) of which we are all part, and which makes up the earth’s magnetic field. We are all connected. Therefore, as little and as powerless as each of us may feel ourselves to be, each one of us has the power to influence both Man and Earth for good through our choices and strivings regardless of our setbacks. The ripples of each life have far reaching effects — for good or not. Similarly, the sufferings, or the fates of each individual or group affects society as a whole. Furthermore, Darwin was wrong: Humans did not survive and thrive through competition, but rather through cooperation. How can we all cooperate today, to improve Mental Health in ourselves and society?
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK PROCLAMATION
At the County Commissioner’s Meeting on September 19, 2018, Butler County declared October 7th – 13th, 2018 to be Mental Illness Awareness Week bringing attention to the widespread onslaught of Mental Illness. Grapevine Center is most grateful for this solidarity. (click image to enlarge)
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Click here to start.
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Check out our pages :
- When a Family Member has a Mental Illness
- Recovery
- Alternative Resources
- Nutrition for Mental Health
- Emotional Freedom Technique
- Substance Abuse Care
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STILL SO PROUD
Four years later, we are still so extraordinarily proud of the honor Butler County Human Services paid our Executive Director, Bette Peoples, for her contribution to Mental Health services and the community, when they dedicated the transitional care unit of the VA Healthcare Center, to her:
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In the event of a crisis, call:
24 hour Crisis Hotline
If you just need someone to listen, call Grapevine Center’s Warmline between 6 pm & 9 pm Daily. Sometimes talking with a friend is all the therapy you need.
Grapevine Center Inc.
140 N. Elm Street, – Suite B, Butler, PA 16001-4820
Consumer Line (724)-283-4736
Toll Free: (888)-223-7620
Hours: 10:00 AM-6:00 PM 7 Days
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