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Special Events
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Reflections of a Community
Fri., Nov. 14
From 6 to 9 p.m.
At Arundel Lodge.
Art show and collaborative art event featuring works from the Arundel Lodge community.
Double Nutritional Benefits Available at Two Annapolis Farmers Markets
Sundays until Nov. 23
Every Sunday, you can spend your SNAP, WIC, or Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program coupons at these farmers markets and they will double your coupons for an extra value of up to $15 per shopper, per day. See below for details on which market accepts which coupons.
Annapolis Fresh Farm Market
Sundays
8 a.m. - noon
Donner Parking Lot, Compromise Street
(202) 362-8889
Accepts WIC, Senior FMNP
Westfield Annapolis Farmers Market
Sundays
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Corner of Generals Highway and Bestgate Road
(410) 222-7410
Accepts SNAP/EBT, WIC, Senior FMNP
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Monthly Meetings and Groups
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NAMI Family Support Group
7 to 8:30 p.m.
At Arundel Lodge.
Open Eye Gallery Committee Meeting
Fri., Dec. 5
11 a.m.
At Arundel Lodge. Held on the first Friday of each month. All are welcome. Email Katerina Evans
or call her at (443) 433-5961 with any questions.
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We have a lot to be thankful for!
This month's newsletter shares the exciting news that Arundel Lodge is merging with First Step Recovery Center and partnering with Maryland Tech Connection, as well as sharing an update for our new Children and Adolescents Center, thanks to our donors. Also, meet Teodora, our Employee of the Month!
Share in the spirit of gratitude at Arundel Lodge. Please consider volunteering to serve a Thanksgiving meal to our persons served or volunteer in some other meaningful way. Read below to find out how.
Don't forget to join us on Nov. 14 for Arundel Lodge's "Reflections" art show. See Special Events in the sidebar for details.
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Arundel Lodge Joins with First Step Recovery Center
Arundel Lodge has worked closely over the years with First Step Recovery Center, which provides substance use treatment. They recently took their partnership to the next level and formalized plans for a merger, a move that aligns with the federal government's plans to move toward mental and behavioral health integration.
According to the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services, about 45 percent of Americans seeking substance use disorder treatment have been diagnosed with a co-occurring mental and substance use disorder. Conversely, people diagnosed with a mental health disorder are more likely to experience a problem with substance use.
 | Leigh Ragan, one of the founders of First Step Recovery Center, and counselor April Butler.
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"I am excited about the merger," said Leigh Ragan, owner of First Step Recovery Center. "For the past few years, I have wanted to have integration of care for my clients. When Mike [Drummond] approached me with the idea of merging, it did not take me long to say yes."
"This merger will not only be good for the people we serve, but it will be positive for our community. Individuals will be able to access care in one place. They will no longer have to figure out how they will have to catch a bus or ask for a ride to get to treatment for their mental health and substance use."
Leigh Ragan and Mary Helen Gibson started First Step Recovery Center in 1999 as an outpatient substance use program. They opened the program with the idea that they would never have to turn anyone away from seeking treatment or help, and they never have. First Step Recovery Center offers a wide range of services including intensive outpatient substance use groups, outpatient substance use groups, DWI education classes, drug diversion groups, family services, individual services, and case management. John Castell became a business partner in 2006 after Mary Helen's retirement.
"Leigh and John Castell ran a for-profit company with a nonprofit heart. First Step Recovery Center will round out Arundel Lodge's portfolio of programs and services and match seamlessly with our mission to partner with individuals and families to improve behavioral health through recovery-oriented services," said Mike Drummond, executive director of Arundel Lodge.
First Step has worked with other agencies in Anne Arundel County including the Department of Probation and Parole, Department of Social Services, Anne Arundel County Crisis Response, Anne Arundel County Department of Health, District Court Drug Court, Circuit Court Drug Court, Family Law, local physicians, inpatient treatment programs, recovery supported housing, and transitional housing.
First Step Recovery Center will maintain its name and remain at its current location, 1419 Forest Drive in Annapolis. It joins Arundel Lodge under its umbrella of programs and services that make up the Outpatient Behavioral Health Clinic, formerly known as the Outpatient Mental Health Clinic.
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Helping Unemployed Marylanders in Partnership with Maryland Tech Connection
On Mon., Oct. 27, Kirkland Murray, president and CEO of Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corporation, joined with three members of Congress for a press conference at University of Maryland BioPark, announcing that the Maryland Tech Connection (MTC) received a $10 million grant from the Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Ready to Work Partnership. U.S. Congressmen Elijah Cummings, Dutch Rupersberger, and John Sarbanes were on hand to support the project.
 | | From left: Jay Perman, MD, president of University of Maryland Baltimore; Kirkland Murray, president and CEO of AAWDC; and Reps. Elijah Cummings, Dutch Rupersberger, and John Sarbanes. |
Maryland Tech Connection will work with 22 business partners to provide comprehensive wrap-around services that address the unique barriers of individuals experiencing long-term unemployment and assist them in preparing for middle and high-skilled jobs in IT and biosciences.
MTC will serve nearly 1,000 Marylanders through intensive coaching and job placement services, short-term occupational training, and career pathways skills training.
Arundel Lodge will be a key community partner, providing behavioral health workshops to the individuals enrolled in the group. A unique Career Re-Start Bootcamp will help enrollees re-imagine their job search and develop a dynamic self-marketing portfolio.
Rep. Cummings spoke about how dejected individuals experiencing long-term unemployment can feel and that including Arundel Lodge as a community partner in behavioral health will be a "holistic approach to change the trajectory of a person's destiny."
There are currently 13,000 long-term unemployed Marylanders. According to a Gallup poll, "The loss of hope that can accompany long-term unemployment may be detrimental not only to job seekers' quality of life, but also to their ability to find good jobs."
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Volunteers Needed for Thanksgiving Meal at Arundel Lodge
In this season and throughout the year, most of us can be grateful for our families. Some of the individuals in our Residential and Day Programs do not have a family with whom to share a Thanksgiving meal, so we provide a special dinner for these individuals every year.
Arundel Lodge needs volunteers on Thanksgiving Day to prepare and serve dinner for those who depend on us to be their family, so they too can experience the true meaning of Thanksgiving. We will provide the food for preparation.
Please call Cindy Garmoe, our volunteer coordinator, at 443-433-5906 or email Cindy to learn more about the Thanksgiving Day celebration and other volunteer opportunities.
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Focus on Gratitude
Actively focusing on gratitude can positively influence your mood and your health. It's a process that can be cultivated.
Studies suggest that taking a few moments to stop and think about what we are grateful for each day and tying it to a physical action such as meditation, writing a thank-you note, praying, or keeping a gratitude journal can improve our level of happiness.
We were curious to know what some of the individuals we serve are grateful for, so we asked, and here are some of their answers:
Melinda C.: I am grateful for my spiritual growth; the transformation I have had from the deep black hole of depression to feeling vibrant and alive.
It's reflected in my artwork. I didn't even know I could paint. Recently, I painted a butterfly that came out of a cocoon and I called it "Rebirth." I was in a cocoon, waiting for my own rebirth, but now I've emerged as a vibrant butterfly. I am grateful for my granddaughters whom I have grown closer to since I came out of my depression.
Alexis P.: I'm grateful for shelter [Alexis lives at an Arundel Lodge residence]. I am grateful for my two roommates. It's a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun. I'm grateful that I'm employed. I work as a retail assistant at the Clothes Box, an Anne Arundel Medical Center consignment shop. I am grateful for the transportation Arundel Lodge provides so that I can get to work and go grocery shopping, otherwise I would have to take a taxi.
Joey T.: I am grateful for the friends I have at Arundel Lodge. I am grateful that I get to go bowling with friends. I am grateful that I do good with my medicine and my voices. I am grateful for friends that take me to the airport to dance. I am grateful for my job cleaning bathrooms at Arundel Lodge.
Joey dances at luggage carousel 5 at BWI Airport. We've seen him...he's awesome!
Sheryl P.: I am grateful for a place to stay, clothes on my back, food in my stomach, good health. Most of all I am thankful for my mental health and getting better each day. I look forward to every day now, anticipating what every day is going to bring. Jesus has been very nice to me in my healing [process] and given me peace of mind. I am grateful for my daughter, my family, my brothers, friends at Arundel Lodge. I am grateful for the music I listen to and the Art Program. Art really helps me a lot. It gives me a chance to unwind and create.
We also asked some of our staff at Arundel Lodge what they are grateful for.
Kate C.: I am grateful for my ability to make rational decisions, a good sense of humor, good health, food to eat, and living in a country where as a female I can come and go as I please.
Lillie H.: I am grateful for my job. I am grateful that I have the opportunity to do what I love; to grow our facility to meet the complex needs of our community. At my last job I built [all the programs] and I love being a part of that. I am grateful for my husband and my family, my health, and opportunities to grow and learn personally and professionally.
Laura M.: I'm grateful for my family, my health. It's something you don't think about every day. You take your blessings for granted. I'm grateful that I have a job--not everyone has one. Those are the major things.
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New Children and Adolescents Center Update
Arundel Lodge is thrilled to announce that we will break ground on our new Children and Adolescents Center later this month. So far we have raised close to $35,000 in private donations toward Beverly and Stephen Marcus's $50,000 match challenge. Only $15,000 more to go! Our total remaining need, however, rests at $285,000, which includes some construction costs, play therapy toys & equipment, furniture, technology, staff, and youth-friendly décor.
To donate and help children and adolescents in Anne Arundel County, please contact Tanya St. John at 443-433-5928 or visit our website.
Thank you so much to our current donors!
Friends & Neighbors:
Dorothy & Don Farley
Richard & Jane Hegstrom
Trish & Phil Jones
Philip Livingstone
Susie McLaughlin
Patricia Nalley
Donna Rich & Andrew Lee
James & Marilyn Snight
Michael Spivey & Corrinne Goldman
Heroes:
Sue Ambruster
Liz & Bob Andretta
Howard & Margie Berger
Pamela Brown
Lynn Buhl
Lawrence & Maureen Cavaiola
Dr. Michael Clemmens & Carol Clemmens
Beth & Joe Devlin
Mary Grace Folwell
Freda & Charles Gandy
Patrick & Jeannine Hantske
Walker & Joan Johnson
Dale & Lois Kelberman
Michael & Anne Marvin
Tori & Mike Matton
Frances Means
Maureen & Glen Nemecek
Doug & Susan Pearson
Sturbridge Development Co.
Peter & Daphne Summers
Susan & Walt Swayze
Michael & Alla Wilson
Paul & Patricia Wright
Sharon & David Wuest
Cathy & Torsten Astrom
Fred & Donna Delp
Ken & Joan Driessen
Mike Drummond & Linda Coveleskie
Bruce Hechler
Michelle & Robert Kelly
Mary & Steve Kurtz
Sandra Mann
Kristen Myers
Robert & Cindy Riera
Rosalie Zaia
Brad & Joanne Zeiger
Carol & Peter Katz
Superheroes:
Thomas Madden
Leonard & Phyllis Attman
Dianne & Charles Feldman
Cynthia & William Garmoe
Estelle & Richard Glasgow
Libby Heffner
Jack Jones & Claire Simpson-Jones
Ellen & Wayne Thayer
Elizabeth Kinney
John Pantelides
Dr. Stephen Kent
Denis & Odile Keuper
Nick & Jody Lacey
Sandy Spring Bank
Champions:
Beverly & Stephen Marcus
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Congratulations to Teodora Avila, November Employee of the Month
Our Employee of the Month for November is Teodora Avila of our maintenance department!
 | | Teodora Avila |
Here are a few of the things her co-workers said about Teodora:
"She does a wonderful job! She is also very friendly."
"Teodora is always nice, always smiling, always committed to her work. She keeps the building presentable and the staff and persons served happy!"
"The bathrooms are amazing! She does a great job every day!"
Congratulations, Teodora!
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