Los Angeles Step-Down has had a very busy month! We’ve celebrated our members annual picnic with many activities and an ole fashion barbecue in the park. Then, two weeks later, we also celebrated Telecare’s 50th Anniversary along with our open house! The “Taco Man” came in and cooked up some carne asada and pollo street tacos with beans, rice, and salsa. There were gift bags for our visitors; and for entertainment our members provided karaoke, dominoes and dancing. All were a huge success with our members, family, friends, colleagues, vendors and neighboring businesses.

By AJ Rylaarsdam
Clinical Director at Sonoma ACT

On July 1st, celebrated the Open House of the McMinn Housing Project while also celebrating Telecare’s 50th anniversary. Staff and members relaxed in the shade of the redwood trees, enjoying lunch and visiting with each other while appreciating the community benefits of this stable housing project. One resident generously gave tours of her apartment throughout the afternoon for those curious to get a closer look. This was a celebration that brought together people from different community agencies.

Along with the ACT members who are residents of the McMinn apartments, staff from Sonoma ACT, Sonoma County Behavioral Health, Sonoma Community Housing and Eugene Berger Property Management were all in attendance. The McMinn housing project is a very successful collaboration between these agencies providing affordable housing in a remodeled apartment complex for eight ACT members. The McMinn apartments are more than a home for our members; it is a healthy recovery community in which members know and support one another in their daily lives. We honored Paula Cook of Sonoma Community Housing, by presenting her with a plaque, for her hard work on seeing this project through from its inception several years ago to its success today. Thank you to everyone who attended and made this celebration a fun and successful day.

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celebrated Telecare’s 50th year with a fun Mardi Gras theme party. Staff munched on BBQ chicken, tri-tip, pulled pork, ribs, salads, a 4-tier cake, and cookies, while listening to tunes from 1965! They even played �ؼ��� Bingo and had 1965-themed trivia. Overall, the party looks and sounds like a great time! Thank you to the staff that worked hard to organize this wonderful event!

Submitted by Anthony Delgado
Administrator at TAO

One of the ways in which welcomes its members is through celebrations! They are a great opportunity for members and staff to play and enjoy each other as part of one single tribe or community. This is a time when in the spirit of celebration, recovery, and community, all divisions between members and staff disappear and all that remains is the humanity that binds us together.

Orange County is currently developing a newsletter to highlight the FSP philosophy and how it’s visible in programs. TAO submitted this example to the county as an example of the practices they have used within their program in hopes to encourage others.

by Richelle Bucayu
Administrator Santa Maria ACT & McMillan Ranch

On June 26, 2015, Santa Barbara County programs , , and CARES Crisis Residential took time away from superhero duties to celebrate 50 years of helping members recover and obtain the life they envision.

Staff, members, and member families came together at a superhero-themed summer BBQ picnic to acknowledge and thank the heroes among us - staff for their dedication and limitless compassion; members for their resiliency and hopefulness; families for their support, patience, and willingness to understand; and our community collaborators such as county Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Services for striving to make positive changes in the community and allowing Telecare to make that difference.

Thank you to our fabulous party planners for a successful picnic: Megan McGuire, Anita Morin, Michele Chisum, and Carla Anderson. Thank you to Tele Trujillo and Dr. Levy for the tasty BBQ. Thank you to my managers, Robin Squires and Martha Mancha for your behind-the-scenes assistance. I am so grateful for every staff contributing to the teamwork needed to make this a successful Telecare birthday. Thank you everyone!

Riverside County and staff came together to celebrate Telecare’s 50th year by hosting a nice luncheon at their facility. Thank you for all who participated! The smiles and enthusiasm in every photo is contagious!

The in San Diego celebrated Telecare’s 50th Anniversary with a lunch at The Great Maple Restaurant in San Diego. Pictured are staff members Luis Calderon, Sara Fillmore, Stephanie Tai Lin, Wilma SCanceloriano, and VP of Operations Gary Hubbard!

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The super heroes of showed their true identities for a fun-filled 50th anniversary party last week.

“The theme was chosen because it reflects how lucky we are to have a dedicated staff who always go above and beyond the call of duty to help our clients in their recovery,” said Talal Alsaleem, administrator of the PHF.

The party consisted of a superhero costume contest, delicious cake, and provided a great opportunity for staff to let loose and be silly around each other.

Thank you to the Stanislaus PHF Superheroes who put the party together and made it truly special!

Submitted by Marti Winterhalter
Director of Rehabilitation, Villa Fairmont MHRC

Costumes, and candy, and conga–oh my! celebrated Telecare’s 50th with a multi-cultural bash!

We had food from many of the cultures represented by our staff. We feasted on Nigerian, Filipino, Afghan, Indian, Chinese, Mexican cuisines and Down Home Fried Chicken–we topped off our feast with Linda Young’s (RAL)”1 Stop Sweet Shoppe.”

It was a “cultural dress” day as well, and so many of our staff showed off their beautiful cultural costumes. In addition from doctor’s to dietary, we donned wild and wacky garb in our photo booth and finished up the party with a conga line to the Afghan singer Aryana Sayeed “Anar” (Pomegranate)!

Orange County program’s came together for one festive 50th anniversary party earlier in June. and staff attended a party with Telecare leadership, county service chiefs from their respective program types, and Mark Refowitz, agency director for Orange County Health Care Authority, who had some very kind words about Telecare.

Party planners added some fun by affixing trivia about 1965 to their 50th balloons, and guests were treated to some entertainment from a member playing acoustic guitar and singing. The party also included a touching speech from a staff member and member–and let’s not forget about the 50th anniversary cupcakes!

Thank you to the staff and guests that helped make this party fantastic!

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celebrated a double birthday a couple of weeks ago–Telecare’s 50th and CHANGES 14th! Staff dressed up in hippie-inspired costumes, played games, sang songs, and had a blast spending time with members and munching on
great food.

On May 26, Cordilleras & San Mateo Transitions hosted Telecare’s 50th celebration. It was attended by staff from both programs, including leaders with San Mateo County Behavioral Health. Clients in the horticultural group made the plant centerpieces and fun was had by all!

Thank you to all the staff that helped put this special party together!

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and with it comes a slew of all around the country. Staff, members, family, friends, and more all come out for this great event that draws thousands to walk in support of the ones they love. Thank you to the Telecare San Diego team for getting a big group together and supporting a great event that makes a big difference in the communities we serve!

If you have any photos or stories from your local NAMI walk and want to share them on T-Net, send them to the communications team at .

If you’re in the Bay Area, don’t forget the Bay Area NAMI Walk is on Saturday, May 30th in Golden Gate Park!

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Submitted by: Jody Rodriguez
BOM at San Bernardino FACT

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Earlier this month, the San Bernardino and programs had their annual staff retreat. Under the leadership of our administrator, Debra Evans, we got to spend the day on Catalina Island. The day started in Newport Beach where we boarded the Catalina Flyer for a quick trip to the island. Once there, we had a team building exercise that was not only fun, but very educational. We completed an adventure quest that took us around the island looking for clues and retrieving answers to a list of questions. We had lunch at a local restaurant and then took a fun submarine ride around the island where we were able to encounter the local marine life and learn more about the beautiful island.

In 2015, Telecare celebrates 50 years of services and supports to people with serious mental illness and complex needs. We started with a single program back in 1965. Today, Telecare has more than 85 programs serving nearly 34,000 people each year. We have grown and evolved over the years, but our purpose has always remained the same: to help people with serious mental illness realize their full potential, and reclaim their health, hopes, and dreams. Learn more about our past, our present, and our hopes for the future in our special .

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Submitted by: Teresa E. Thomas
Clinical Director of Garfield Neurobehavioral Center

For the past two years, has partnered with a local middle school in East Oakland to bring in entertainment for the residents. These middle school students read poetry, play piano, sing, show art work and write personalized letters to our residents. Garfield staff speak with the students about healthcare careers and working with people with mental illness.

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“Dear all amazing staff members of GNC,

I just want to say thank you all so much for letting me enter your workspace and the resident’s home. The field trip was such a cool and fun thing I never thought I would do. Some things I learned was that people that have disabilities, disorders, illnesses, etc…can be funny like Robert Y, David, etc…they can have fun, and they are super cool people. Another thing I learned was that the residents don’t stay home all day. They get to go out to the A’s game, they’re fed well, they’re taken care of, and they’re cared about by everyone. One thing I loved while we were at GNC, was when I talked to Robert Y. He is a very cool person! Another thing I loved was when David was dancing to a song. I loved it. I will never forget about this amazing and fun trip. This trip is definitely the highlight of middle school. Thank you all again for welcoming me. I loved it!”

Submitted by Susie Guerra
Administrator of Discoveries

The team is involved in many community events throughout the year. A few ago, TLC of Downey, an agency that refers clients to us, was having their annual 5k walk/run, so I suggested we join in (thinking all the staff would laugh). To my surprise, the Discoveries team all signed up, made a banner, and designed a t-shirt! Staff even trained for it, so now we have staff jogging time frequently, and they want to do more 5k’s. One staff member registered for her first 1/2 marathon in October!

By Susie Guerra, administrator at Discoveries

The team brought  families together one night to meet each other and start making some connections and provide support. The team provided a yummy pizza and pasta dinner (and of course, dessert!) and showed the families an inspirational video of three Discoveries-CAPPS staff with lived experience.

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This was a huge hit! The families appreciated the staff sharing their stories, and felt comfortable opening up about their own struggles and continuing journey.

We separated the parents after the video so they can continue to share and open up to each other and we had the clients paint or draw a picture of their journey. One client’s picture of mountains and a waterfall was so moving–she explained living with her mental illness is like when she hikes with her mom. She has to struggle up the hills, but once she gets there, it will be pretty.

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We then brought everyone back together and gave a certificate to one of our clients that has perfect attendance for his weekly family therapy sessions. This client, ironically, was not going to attend the open house as he wasn’t sure if he wanted to be around others yet, however he showed up! When he received this certificate, his aunt and him were so excited because he had never received an award before.

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Due to the feedback on our evaluations we are hoping to now start monthly support groups for our parents as well as our enrolled youth.

Thank you and congratulations to everyone at Telecare for making us a ! The San Francisco Business Times has named Telecare as the (based on employee feedback). The April 14th celebration was enjoyed by a group of Bay Area staff, with fun, great food, and camaraderie! Thank you again to everyone who took the survey.

Last month, we had another spirit week here at SOAR complete with a �ؼ��� purple day to commemorate the 50th anniversary. Our spirit leaders, Bisa Peoples and Sheila McClay, also treated us each day with themed food! There is one thing we love to do up here in Sacramento and that is EAT! They kept us fueled up and ready to support our members in a upbeat and positive way. We always encourage our members to participate in the themes each day and this time we had a few join in on the fun. Every member of the SOAR team is a super hero every day but one day this week they dressed up to show their true colors. Thanks again to Sheila and Bisa for their culinary and planning support for yet another successful and fun spirit week!

Submitted by Kezzia Bullen, Clinical Director at SOAR

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