April 21, 2008 — Participating in her own healing is a big part of Carole LeKashman's return to mental wellness.
LeKashman lost her position as a bank officer and fell into what she terms a checkered employment history after a manic episode and a bipolar diagnosis. The kinds of treatments available at the time were inadequate to bring her back to wellness, she said.
At the Clear Blue Sky Clubhouse, participants like LeKashman are called "members." They work together on activities designed to help them regain their self-worth and attain social and career goals.
"Hanging around and doing nothing is particularly bad for the mentally ill," LeKashman explained. "Having something to do gave me purpose. It gave me a place to go, work to do and someone to see."
The program gives participants something they can't get from pharmaceuticals: socialization in a nurturing environment.
"Medication is just not enough," LeKashman said in a later interview. "Membership brings to me structure and integration into society that I would not be able to accomplish by myself. And it doesn't cost me anything."
Basic components of the program call for participants' membership in the work-ordered day, as well as understanding that they are expected, wanted and needed every day at the Clubhouse.
Members collaborate with staff to run the Clubhouse, which has just one paid staffer. The rest of the staff are volunteers who assist members with finding employment, planning social activities and maintaining the clubhouse and its grounds. No members are paid for work at the Clubhouse.
Showcased Monday to more than two dozen medical professionals at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort, program organizers want to increase its member base, staff and physical and financial resources so it can serve more people in the territory.
The group that developed the showcase included LeKashman and other clubhouse members and staff, and they were joined by Jack Yatsko, director of training for the International Center for Clubhouse Development, (ICCD).
There are more than 400 ICCD-affiliated Clubhouses worldwide, Yatsko said.
Offering measurable results of the program's success, Yatsko said Hawaii Clubhouse members earned more than $564,000 in taxable income, increased the tax base whenever members go back to work, and reduced the burden on the community when members are no longer dependent entirely upon public assistance.
Clear Blue Sky Clubhouse on St. Thomas is the brainchild of Arlene Monaghan. Using a $6,000 Venture Grant from the United Way, Monaghan said she wanted to serve five people in half of her house while she lived in the other half.
After Monaghan contacted the ICCD about her program, they offered a one-week scholarship in their training program. One of the stipulations for being a part of the ICCD program required that she could no longer live in the clubhouse facility.
"It was move out or get another location," Monaghan said, "We had no budget, so I moved into an apartment in my sister's home."
To return more people to mental wellness, Clear Blue Sky Clubhouse now aims for full certification in the international organization. To qualify for certification, Clear Blue Sky Clubhouse needs to increase staff and meet other standards.
To fund these resources, Monaghan is appealing to the medical community, the government and the community for financial, in-kind and volunteer assistance.
Clear Blue Sky's wish list says that the "thing we wish for most is more referrals from health-care professionals so that more people can become members and benefit from our program." The list also asks for a six-passenger van, laundry appliances, computer and printer, and cleaning and gardening supplies.
For more information about the Clear Blue Sky Clubhouse, contact Arlene Monaghan at 340-774-9668 or Carol LeKashman at 340-779-7422.
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