Member Spotlight: Fresh Start Clubhouse

Fresh Start Clubhouse is more than a program or a social service. Fresh Start is a community, intentionally designed as an environment for adult residents of Washtenaw County with severe and persistent mental illness to develop self-efficacy and resiliency in their struggle to recover their lives and participate in society. Fresh Start is based on the Fountain House model of psychosocial rehabilitation where members provide mutual support and encouragement to celebrate accomplishments and regain self-confidence. Members of Fresh Start move beyond their illness by focusing on strengths, talents, and abilities rather than symptoms. The organization and operation of Fresh Start is shared by members and staff on a side-by-side basis; all work of the Clubhouse is meaningful and necessary. The work-ordered-day is the core of the Clubhouse program, in which members voluntarily participate in work which is divided into two units of responsibility-the Culinary Unit, and the Cooperative Unit.

Recently, Fresh Start Clubhouse was awarded accreditation through their governing body, the International Center for Clubhouse Development (ICCD), a symbol of quality, and a clear demonstration of a Clubhouse’s commitment to excellence. Out of 44 Clubhouses in Michigan, Fresh Start is proud to be one of only five with accreditation status. Fresh Start and its auspice agency, Touchstone Services, Inc. have also been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), demonstrating a commitment to being one of the best psychosocial rehabilitation programs available.

Fresh Start Clubhouse’s motivation to join the A2Y Chamber was fueled by their mutual interest in facilitating education and advocacy for the Washtenaw County community as a whole. In an effort to continue to advocate for their member’s recovery, Fresh Start has an employment program that is one of the most successful vocational rehabilitation programs in today’s community mental health systems. Because of the unique nature of the many integrated services provided at Fresh Start, they are always able to meet members where they are in their life’s journey. Employment continues to be an often expressed priority for people living with serious mental illness, although the unemployment rate among this group is generally over 80%. Fresh Start is actively looking for community employers to partner with to reduce this rate, and it is their belief that the Chamber can help to this end. Fresh Start is also seeking community leaders to join their Advisory Board to help them continue providing top tier services to their members.

The staff and members at Fresh Start Clubhouse would love the opportunity to introduce themselves to the Ann Arbor / Ypsilanti community and present their overall program, as well as employment program. In the meantime, if you are a like-minded community employer or community leader interested in providing meaningful employment opportunities or expertise to their Advisory Board, please don’t hesitate to contact Rose Schulist, Director, or Aaron Cook, Vocational Coordinator at (734) 929-9992. They can also be reached at roses@freshstartclubhouse.org or acook@freshstartclubhouse.org, respectively.

Q & A with Tom Harrison about his trip to the White House

Our Board of Directors Chair and Michigan Ladder CEO Tom Harrison was honored to be invited to the Michigan Business Leader’s Briefing at the White House in June, along with representatives from the public sector, including local colleges and universities, and other Michigan business owners and CEOs. Here’s his take on the meeting.

Which officials attended?

Members of the White House Economic Council (WHEC).  Most of the names are not in the mainstream media and probably not known to most, but Mark Doms, the Chief Economist Department of Commerce and Ari Matusiak, the Executive Director of the White House Business Council are two that I knew.

 

What were some of the key points in the economic briefing?

The people from the private sector consistently voiced a concern over the uncertainty in the economy.  Our perspective was to simply figure out the rules, regulations and taxes, make them fair and equitable, and have them apply to everyone without exception.  The spending and unfunded obligations need to be brought under control because we all know that at some point it will have to be paid for. People from the public sector got excited about re-training the work force.
 What were some of the policies discussed?

From the private sector: the ever-changing rules, regulations and taxes that make it difficult to plan your business.  From the public sector: re-training programs. From the White House: they touted a re-training bill (that none of us had heard of), programs to hire veterans, and electronic health records.

 

Did you get the sense that the Department of Commerce and the White House understand the issues facing businesses in Michigan?

I think they have a general understanding of the situation in Michigan and have a similar understanding of the problems around the country.  Do I think they will really do what is needed? No. All of our economic problems are political and I don’t think there is the political will to do what is required.

 

Do you think this meeting was effective in helping to communicate the needs of Michigan businesses?

Absolutely.  Anytime you have the opportunity to visit with our policy makers, I think you should do it.  If they call me 100 times, I will go 100 times. I’m less optimistic that anything meaningful will come out of these meetings, but you do have to try.

 

What issues do you feel are unique to businesses in Michigan?

I don’t think that we really have any unique issues. If our policy makers could provide a fair, equitable and stable economic environment, everything else will take care of itself.

 

What did you see on the White House tour?
We visited the East Wing and part of the private residence.  Our tour was scheduled for June 1^st  and on day prior they had unveiled the official portraits of George and Laura Bush.  We got to see them on display in the East Room of the White House.

 

How did your family enjoy the trip?

Everyone had a great time.  I particular enjoyed visiting the Gettysburg battlefield and torturing my children with a painfully detailed description of the battle, particularly Pickett’s charge.  We all went on the White House tour together and while I was in my meeting, they visited all of the sites in DC. Favorites among the kids were the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and the International Spy Museum.

 

The A2Y Chamber is excited to welcome two new Membership Sales Representatives and a new Senior Accountant to the staff.

Julie Kedroske began at the Chamber as a marketing and events intern this summer and was hired on for the sales position in November. She is from Chelsea, MI and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Human Development & Social Relations from Kalamazoo College in 2011.

Our newest sales representative Rosalind Vaughn is an Ypsilanti resident originally from Cassopolis, MI.  She studied business at Eastern Michigan University and worked at the Ann Arbor Credit Bureau for 14 years.  She also spent the last 9 years as a mortgage loan officer.

Senior Accountant Cindie Dulaney is a graduate of Cleary University with a bachelor’s degree in Corporate Accounting and is currently studying for her MBA at the University of Michigan – Flint. She lives in Fenton with her husband Ryan and four-year-old son Alex.

Take a moment to introduce yourself at the next Chamber event!

The Ann Arbor / Ypsilanti Regional Chamber honored its long-standing members during the Early Edition breakfast Wednesday, June 15th at the Eastern Michigan University Student Center. Members who have belonged to the Chamber for 20 years or longer were recognized by John Petz, Chair of the A2Y Chamber Board of Directors, and four of the Chamber’s longest standing members shared their experience of doing business in the Ann Arbor / Ypsilanti area during the past 50 years.

Sandy Janowiak (Janowiak Funeral Home and Geer-Logan Chapel) Laurel Champion (AnnArbor.com) Jim Wanty (O & W Distributors) and Ron Dankert (Swisher Commercial) represented member businesses that joined the Ann Arbor or Ypsilanti Chamber in the 1960’s. The Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti Chambers were established in 1919 and 1918 respectively and merged in June of 2010.

 

Menlo Innovations is a software design and development company located in downtown Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Menlo’s processes and practices set our company apart from other firms, including paired programming, test-driven development and gathering requirements using our High-Tech Anthropology® process. We create software that’s focused on target end users and produces better business results for our clients.

In addition, we’ve chosen to intentionally focus our culture on the Business Value of Joy. This extends to everyone who walks through Menlo’s doors, from our clients to our subcontractors and employees.

We offer tours on a regular basis to anyone who wants to learn more about our company, as well as workshops for those who want in-depth exposure to The Menlo Way! Check out our web site at www.menloinnovations.com